In The Beginning
by T8037
Summary: The relationship from the start of the residency
1. Chapter 1

"My name is Dr Aaron Glassman" the older man announced from the head if the table. "I will be your main point of contact for the duration of your residency."

The six new surgical residents sat around the conference table with their welcome packs in front of them. They looked at him intently as he directed then to open their booklets to the first page.

"As well as being resident supervisor, I am also the neurosurgery attending here" he continued. "I trained here at St Bonaventure and have been lucky enough to stay on to progress in my career."

"St Bonaventure is an emerging centre of excellence for both medical and surgical programs and you have all been chosen as we believe you are the best of the best." The new residents smiled and seemed to relax a little at that.

"First things first" Dr Glassman announced. "Introductions. Let's start to my left and work our way around."

A young man spoke first. He was dressed in a smart suit with a matching tie and pocket square. "Hello there, I'm Dr Kevin Miller. I went to Columbia and I'd like to specialise in plastic surgery. I'm not married, have no children that I know of and am focused on getting the most out of this residency" he said with no change in his expression.

"I'm Joanne Walker" said the next resident in line who was a young lady, dressed impeccably. "I went to Perelman. I'm not sure if my speciality yet and am looking forward to trying out a few options" she said smiling at the room.

"I'm Audrey Lim. I went to Stanford" said a young lady in a cotton shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Anything else you'd like to Dr Lim?" Dr Glassman prompted.

"Not right now" Dr Lim replied. Glassman nodded.

"Next!"

"I'm Delun Chen" started a young man dressed in slacks and a collared t-shirt. "I attended Columbia also. I think I'd like to specialize in cardiothoracic surgery."

"I'm Neil Melendez and I attended UCSF. I'm leaning towards either emergency medicine or cardiothoracic" he said with an air of confidence. He was wearing the trousers and shirt that would one day become his uniform outside of his scrubs.

Lastly was another young man dressed in creased trousers and an untucked shirt. "My name is Dr Alex Perry. I'm looking forward to getting started and using my skills to help people" he said with a smile.

"Great, now that is out of the way, it's time to get down to business" Dr Glassman continued. "The are six of you now, but by the end of your first year, the will only be four places to move forward. You will be assessed the whole time on your skills across a wide range from technical to patient contact"

"Feel free to get acquainted, make friends even, but remember, you are competing with each other and some of you will lose" he finished and dismissed them for a coffee break.

X

After taking a bathroom break, the residents gathered around the coffee urns set up in a small foyer outside the conference room.

Neil took a sip and discreetly spat it back into the cup grimacing.

"This stuff is nasty. I'm going to head to the lobby, anyone else want anything?"

'No thanks' was the most common reply apart from Audrey.

"Yeah, sure. I'll come with" she said gesturing towards the elevator.

Neil pressed the call button and stood back, and as the doors opened he gestured 'after you' and Audrey took the lead.

As they descend, he tried to start up conversation with the seemingly quiet Dr Lim.

"So, you didn't share much in there. What are you hoping to specialise in? Or are you keeping your options open?"

"I didn't share then, I'm not sharing now" she replied with a small smile. "I'm not here to make friends" she stated in a matter of fact.

He raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, I'll try to remember that in future" he replied.

They exited into the lobby and headed towards the coffee counter.

"Am I allowed to offer to buy you a coffee? As a colleague of course, not as potential friend" he teased.

She looked and shook her head with a small smile. "I don't see why not" she replied.

Their order arrived quickly and with their cups of decent coffee in hand, they exited the elevator back onto the floor outside the conference room. All the other residents were already sat around the table and their heads swivelled as Neil and Audrey entered.

"There you are" Dr Glassman stated. "I see you've figured out the key to surviving at St Bonaventure already" he said gesturing towards the coffee cups.

"Sorry..." Neil started but Audrey interrupted.

"That coffee was awful" she said nodding towards the foyer. "Wouldn't have survived the afternoon on that."

"Understood" Dr Glassman said and gave a small smile. "Next time though, make sure you look after your attending please."

X

After running through the welcome pack, discussing safety and evacuation protocols and getting through the last pieces of admin, they were released for a lunch break.

"Take advantage" Dr Glassman advised them. "This is probably the least scheduled lunch you will ever have. Enjoy it" he says with a laugh.

They sat together at a table in the cafeteria making small talk. They learned a few more snippets of information quickly each other mostly regarding their supposed prowess.

Audrey stayed quiet and observed, making her own judgements. She looked at Kevin as he regaled them with yet another story about how he had met someone famous and how they promised to come to him for work once he was qualified. Granted, his suit was expensive but it covered a shallow, self important man.

Joanne was genuinely keen to learn. She appeared to be very intelligent but didn't necessarily have the skills to specialise on one particular field. Audrey thought she might be more suited to general practise.

She looked over at Delun as he told a story about something unimportant that started out well, but went horribly wrong. He doesn't have the discipline for a cardio speciality, she thought. He's not focused enough.

She silently critiqued Alex next. He seemed like he actually wanted to help people. No ulterior motives, no self gain. Just wanted to help. She found herself hoping he had the skills to back it up.

Lastly came Neil. She didn't quite know what to make of him. He was very handsome and had an air of arrogance but also seemed genuinely nice. His interests were at polar opposites of each other. Trauma surgery was fast paced and often messy, whereas cardiothoracic was meticulous and precise. He would be an interesting one.

Neil cleared his throat and Audrey snapped too. She hadn't noticed the rest of the residents clear their trays and leave. It was just the two of them and he had caught her staring.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah" she replied. "Just sizing you all up" she said with a smile as she picked up her tray and headed back towards the elevators.

Neil sat a moment longer. He didn't know what to make of Audrey Lim so far. The rest of them were pretty easy to read but she was something else. She was going to be his biggest competition he thought. Should be fun, he smiled to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Once orientation was complete, they were handed their scrubs, white coats and were thrown straight in the deep end. It was going to be sink or swim, there was no doubt about it.

She clearly remembers the first time she saw him in his scrubs. The navy suited him and they allowed her to noticed a detailed tattoo on his forearm. She wondered if there was meaning behind it and would try to remember to ask one day.

His white coat gave him confidence. He wore it proudly and carried himself with an air of authority despite the fact that he had only been on the job five minutes. She noticed it seemed to put the patients at ease and watched mindfully.

His bedside manner was faultless, he seemed to have a connection with each patient, particularly the children. One youngster in the ER who was particularly distressed spotted something about Neil that interested her.

She pointed at his collar saying "What dat?"

"Ah, that is a picture" he smiled.

"Of who?" the child asked.

"Bambis daddy" he replied moving his collar slightly for the youngster to see.

"Aww, that's cute" said the little girl.

"Thank you" Neil smiled.

Stood at the nurses station a little later writing up his notes, he jumped a little when Audrey stepped up beside him.

"Bambis daddy?" She asked with an amused look.

"Nah, just a misguided youth" he laughed. "High school team was The Bucks" he shrugged.

'Maybe he's not such a Mr. Nice Guy after all' she thought.

X

He remembers very well the first time he saw her in scrubs. There had been an admission via the ER of a construction worker who had impaled his upper thigh on some rebar after a stumble.

Audrey had steadfastly held the leg stable without flinching, even as the patient had been thrashing around in pain. As her 'reward' she was the first of them to be invited into the Operating Room to observe.

He saw her immediately afterwards and she was gliding down the corridor as if she was walking on air. Her hair was pulled back into a high bun and she was buzzing with excitement.

"Went well then?" Neil asked as she got closer.

"That was amazing" she exclaimed. Her entire face lit up when she smiled as she began to recount the events of the last few hours. The detail she went into was immense and he almost felt at if he was there.

That was the most they had spoken in the time they had known each other and he enjoyed the conversation thoroughly. From their first meeting in the conference room and her succinct introduction, he thought that might have been the way she was going to be but now he realised, you just needed to find something that she was excited about. Surgery was it.

She was going to be his biggest competition.

X

Their stamina was challenged over the weeks that followed as they started obscenely long shifts and the limits of their knowledge were constantly tested. They were called to every type of consult they could have imagined and did scut work for the senior residents.

Dr Glassman had been right all those weeks ago. None of them could remember sitting down for as lunch break any time recently, they would stuff a sandwich down their throats running between one call and another.

The pressure seemed to be just about bearable for most of them however Delun was showing signs of being stressed after a fumbled intubation. He had tried and failed at the first attempt and he had walked out of the room when the attending took the apparatus and completed the procedure instead of allowing him a second try.

He had been chewed out afterwards and was now sitting in the locker room with his head in his hands. Neil found him sitting there an hour after he should have left the hospital.

"Do you want to grab a drink?" Neil asked. "Talk about what happened today?"

"I dunno" he replied. "I don't really feel like it" he said miserably.

"Come on, it was one failed attempt at intubating a guy. Let it go and just do better next time. You've done them before as a med student, it's not like it was your first go" Neil said.

"It was" he whispered.

"Pardon? How?"

"I've just never stepped up before but when he asked today, I didn't really have a choice."

"Wow" Neil said quietly.

"I got the blade in just fine and I could see the epiglottis. I just slid the tube down and I KNEW I was in, I was sure of it."

"So what happened?"

"When they pulled the guide wire, the tube came up a bit and the bag wouldn't inflate. I wanted to try again but he just took it off me and did it himself. I'm sure it was the nurse, I'm sure she didn't inflate the cuff once the tube was in" Delun said shaking his head.

Neil was a little shocked at his version of events. He sat for a moment trying to think of the right thing to say.

"At least you were allowed to attempt" he started. "It's important to get this shit right first time. The patient had already had the relaxant, it needed to be done. He just didn't want to waste any more time. And one piece of solid advice I've been given is top not slate the nurses. They'll save your ass mo6r times than you can count."

Delun sighed. "You're right, sorry for putting this on you."

"Not at problem. Shall I see if the rest are still here? We could go get a drink? "

"That would be great, yes please."

Five of them went out to a bar after work that night. Kevin was staying behind to research for an upcoming procedure so they said their goodbyes and headed out.

They all drowned Deluns sorrows and toasted for the next shift to be better. Each of them left the bar that night thinking they were part of a team and thinking that they might even be making friends.


	3. Chapter 3

The residents spent the next few months settling into their new routines of having no routine whatsoever. Their lives belonged to the hospital and they worked harder than they ever had before.

They had started to bond as a team and would regularly arrange to go out together to let off steam. This particular Wednesday, there were four of them heading to dinner. Neil offered to drive, vaguely explaining that he needed to be up early in the morning so would just have one beer.

Doctors Chen and Perry couldn't make it this time around. They were still monitoring a patient that had developed complications during a simple procedure. The rest of them went off to a local, cheap and cheerful bar to get dinner and drinks.

His car was a battered old Ford but it got him where he needed to go. As they got in, Kevin moved a pile of CDs from the passenger seat. Looking through them as they drove, he blurted "Who is Gabi? You didn't say you had a girlfriend Melendez!"

Neil laughed "Kev, she's my sister" and watched as a blush crept up Kevins cheeks.

"Ah, you share the car?"

Neil looked over at him and smiled. After a slightly rocky start, Kevin had settled in well over the last few months. Despite his very impersonal introduction, his personal skills had improved a lot so Neil decided to throw the guy a bone.

"Nah, she likes to choose the music when I take her out that's all." He paused briefly. "She's in a residential home about 30 minutes from here. She needs full time care."

The admission was met with silence from all three passengers. Nobody knew how to respond.

"It's fine, she's doing really well there and she's got great friends" he continued.

"Why is she in there?" Kevin asked. The question earned him a clip in the back of the head from Audrey which didn't go unnoticed.

"We were messing around when we were kids and she fell. Hit her head so hard it left permanent damage. It's not degenerative, but my parents were getting older and finding it all a bit much so there wasn't much choice."

As if on cue, they arrived away the bar and parked at the kerbside. Audrey hung back as Neil locked the car to walk in with him.

"Was that ok? The conversation in the car" she asked.

"Sure, why would you think otherwise?"

"You've never mentioned her before, that's all."

"Nobody really asked" he smiled as he held the door for her to walk through.

X

They were seated at a booth towards the back of the bar. As it was a Wednesday, it was not particularly busy so their server came by quickly. They placed their orders and started chatting and comparing stories since their last get together.

Kevin had the story of the night that made them all laugh until their eyes watered. "So, I get a call about an patient who needs a CBC to be checked but nursing cannot get blood" he began. "They have been trying throughout the day without success so trying to think out of the box, I headed to the NICU for some supplies."

"I had to do some serious begging but i convinced the nurse to give me a capillary puncture kit and headed to the ward with my victorious solution in my hand" he gestured raising his glass.

Joanne put her head in her hands "I can't bear this. Come on Kevin, how did you manage to mess it up?" she laughed.

"Patience now, I've got to build the suspense" he laughed. "I begin speaking to the family explaining what the kit was, how it was normally used on babies and how I was going to use it on the patient."

"I pushed the button to demonstrate and it dawns on me that I was holding it backwards. I rush out of the room and go to the sink. My finger just wouldn't stop bleeding."

At this point both Audrey and Joanne were almost crying and Neil was sat with a shocked look on his face.

"A nurse comes rushing over, takes one look and asks "Do you need a band aid?" I had to go back to the NICU, explain what had happened while they all had a good laugh and beg for another kit."

"It was a good idea, Kev" Audrey said through the tears that were flowing freely.

"Ah no" he replied. "Worst bit was, I didn't totally believe them when they said he was dry so I stuck his finger feeling like a hero for figuring this out and nothing. Stuck it again. Nothing. The man doesn't even give a drop, he was as dry as a bone" he laughed

They found the time they spent telling these stories therapeutic and sharing their failures made them closer as a team.

X

After the check was paid, Neil rose and said his goodbyes. He explained that he was heading out early in the morning to pick up Gabi so needed to be fresh.

Audrey decided to call it a night and asked if he wouldn't mind dropping her closer to home. Of course, he was happy to oblige.

Kevin and Joanne watched them leave and with a few beers giving her courage, Joanne turned and said "I give them six months."

"For what?" Kevin replied.

"They'll have slept together in six months time" she said laughing to herself. "They are always looking at each other when they think the other one isn't looking. It's so obvious!"

"I'll take that bet" Kevin said holding out his hand to seal the deal.

X

Oblivious to the conversation back at the booth, Neil and Audrey walked to the car. Ever the gentleman, he reached to open the door for her accidentally brushing her hand as she reached to do the same.

They jumped at the spark they felt and stood, staring at each other not knowing what to do next. Audrey's eyes flickered down to his mouth as Neil's tongue absent mindedly moistened his lips. He leaned a little closer and she didn't back away. Her gave her a small smile and leaned closer again.

This time, as their lips were millimetres apart, he heard "Stop, I can't" escape under her breath.

He backed away as if he'd been struck by lightning, apologising and opening the car door as was the original intention.

They drove in silence to the end of Audreys block and she asked him to stop the car.

"I can take you to the kerb" he teased. "I won't try any funny business, I promise" he said with a nervous laugh.

Audrey looked apprehensive and replied "it's fine, I can walk from here."

"It's no problem" he argued back.

"It is" she said as she opened the car door. "My husband won't like it. I'm sorry."

She closed the car door and Neil watched as she walked away, both of them feeling emotions they hadn't felt before.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time he saw her, she was surrounded by books and journals in one of the meeting rooms. There was a big procedure coming up and she was looking to get a spot on the team.

He had noticed she'd been holed up in there all morning on what should have been her day off so he had picked up a coffee for her. Besides, he wanted to catch her alone to apologise for that awkward moment a couple of days before.

He put the takeaway cup down in front of her, startling her and making her curse.

"Sorry" he said sheepishly. "I thought you heard me come in."

"Well, I was concentrating" she replied sharply, gesturing at the paperwork surrounding her.

"Can you take a break? I'd like to apologise for our misunderstanding?" Neil asked recovering quickly from the snipe.

"You don't need to..." she started but he carried in quickly.

"I misread the situation, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking and if I'd known you were married I would have never..."

It was Audrey's turn to interrupt. "You couldn't have known I'm married" she smiled softly. "Nobody knows except HR."

"Can I ask you a question" Neil braved. She nodded her response.

"Why don't you wear a wedding ring?"

She sighed and marked the page of the journal she was reading before she closed it. "I'm not really sure" she admitted. "I wear our outside of work, just not at the hospital. I thought I might get treated differently if people knew. You know, because I'm a woman, people will assume I'm going to disappear in a couple of years to pop out a bunch of children. "

"And he doesn't mind?"

"Kashal. His name is Kashal" she replied. "And he doesn't mind, he's all about the career and how to move onward and upward."

"What does he do?" Neil asked.

"He's a lawyer" she replied. She didn't go into any more detail.

Neil didn't need telling twice that this was the end of that particular conversation so her changed the subject to keep her engaged.

"Need a study buddy for next weeks op?" he offered with a smile.

"I'll be ok, thanks for the coffee though. I needed that."

"Any time" he smiled ad he got up to leave. "Don't work too hard" he teased as he headed towards the door.

X

Audrey successfully got herself into the OR to observe the procedure in the following week. The operation itself was considered a success. The patient had suffered some major abdominal trauma and the procedure was intended to make repairs.

As the procedure came to a end, the decision was made to leave the wound open. It was covered in plastic and sealed with a vacuum and the closure would be made once he was less sick.

The events that followed made for a very entertaining tale the next time they went out a few weeks later.

The six of them were sat around a table getting dinner. They were grabbing a quick bite before heading out to a bar to relieve the stress of the month that just passed.

Audrey held the floor with a great story of the aftermath of the abdominal surgery. They all knew something had gone awry but none of them knew the details.

After giving a recap, she delved into the gory details.

"The nurse called me into the room to look at this guys abdomen because she thought she saw pieces of the bowel seeping out of the vacuum bag. I thought she was right, the bowel looked pretty dusky, so we called someone to come and take a look at it."

The senior resident marched in like he owned the place. He agreed with our assessment and talked to his attending who told him to take the dressing off, tuck the bowel back into the bag and put a new dressing on."

Alex looked horrified at the whole thing. "That sounded like it was going to be a disaster. Why did they think that was a good idea?"

The table laughed and Audrey continued.

"So, the genius resident, who shall remain nameless, comes in and takes off the dressing. The bowel had become swollen from the fluids and trauma, so when he took it off, they all just slipped."

"No way" cringed Delun. "That's awful!"

"It was pretty horrific to be honest. The bag had dislodged and as we tucked everything in one side, they'd spill back out the other. Luckily the guy was so out of it he had no idea and the drugs we'd given to control his BP meant there wasn't much blood. But there was just sooooo much mess, he was literally disembowelling and they was nothing we could do!"

"And the grand finale? How'd it end up?" Kevin asked.

"We ended up having to calling as many people as we could to tuck things in here and there until he could get back to the OR for them to get put back properly…... they closed him up this time and the guy went home two weeks later none the wiser" she laughed.

"You know these aren't the dinner conversations of normal people, you know?" Neil joked. "Imagine people could hear us, they'd never visited a doctor again" he laughed.

X

Conversation at the table took a lighter tone as the evening moved on. They check was paid and they were heading to a bar down the street for the rest of the evening.

As they ambled down the sidewalk, the topic of the hospital gala came up.

"Are we allowed to bring a date?" Delun asked.

"I doubt it" Neil replied. "I doubt we're even allowed to speak to anybody" he laughed.

Kevin and Joanne waltzed dramatically in front of them, spinning and laughing down the street. "Don't worry Del, I'll dance with you" shouted Joanne. "Come on, let's get some practice in" as she made a dramatic entrance in to the bar.

As always, Neil and Audrey were at the back of the group talking quietly.

"I'm going to try and let my paperwork overrun that night. Not sure a Gala is my scene" Audrey said as they strolled along.

"Not into dressing up fancy once in a while?" Neil teased.

She gestured to herself, dressed in her usual jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. "Do I look like I like dressing up?" she asked laughing. "Do you have a tux? I could ask Kash if he could loan you one if you wanted?"

Neil looked, not quite sure how to respond so didn't answer directly. "Come on, let's go dance" he said, grabbing her hand, pulling her through the door of the bar and straight onto the dancefloor.

"There they go again" Joanne shouted in Kevins ear. "Nothing going on, my foot!"

They danced away for a good hour before stopping for a drink. He took her hand again and guided her through the crowds to the bar. Neither of them noticed the guys stood to one side, casually snapping a photograph of them as they passed.

The night came to a close as they all stumbled out into the street. They called cabs and the guys waited until the ladies were on their way before they headed home themselves.

The last thing Neil remembered before his head hit the pillow that night, was how much fun he'd had with Audrey. He was going to have to get over this. This could be trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

The day of the gala came around quickly. The residents had been briefed that they were expected to attend and their only job was to impress the hospital's wealthy donors.

They ladies had argued a little saying it was easier for the boys to get ready, all they had to do was throw on a tux. Joanne had tried to get out an hour early, highlighting that it took women a lot longer to get ready. Especially in a hospital with no facilities.

"Not a chance" Dr Glassman said. "I'm sorry Dr Walker but your going to have to figure it out like everybody else. I'll expect to see you there at seven prompt."

"Great" she exclaimed as she burst into the locker room. "Just great."

Audrey was just grabbing something from her locker and startled as Joanne came hurling through the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked looking concerned.

"Dr Glassman won't let me finish early to get ready for tonight. So frustrating, he doesn't understand!"

"I'm sure he gets it Jo, he just isn't bothered" Audrey said trying to calm her friend. "Stop pacing, sit down" she said, trying to get her attention.

"I'll cover for you as much as I can while you get ready" Audrey suggested. "I'm not that fussed on going anyway so I'll just catch up with you all later.'

"Oh come on, you have to come" replied Jo. "Neil will be there in a tux, what other reason could you need!"

Audrey glared at her "Why would I want to see Neil in a tux?" she asked sharply.

"Touched a nerve there, have I?" Jo teased. "We all see you making eyes at each other. We've even opened a book to see how long it takes you to get together."

"You did what?!"

"Chill Audrey, it's just a joke. I'm sorry" she continued.

She sighed and took a deep breath. "Jo, I need to tell you something" she stated shakily. She gave her the entire run down of her marriage to Kashal. From how they met at school, to deciding to get married thinking they would go far together. She shared how Kashal wasn't the man she thought he was, how he was very controlling outside of work and how she would appreciate it if the gossip was stopped. She didn't want to get into trouble. On their nights out, she simply told him that she was working late.

Jo looked at her in utter disbelief. Sir couldn't believe that the cool and confident Audrey Lim was in that position.

"I'm sorry" was all she could utter. "It probably won't help, but if you ever need me, you have to let me know ok?"

Audrey gave a sad smile. "Thank you, Jo. That means a lot."

X

The rest of the shift ran it's course. Alex and Audrey were just finishing up the last of the charts and were going to get changed. The last patient consult had been amused by Joanne's attendance with a full face of makeup. As promised, Audrey completed the paperwork while she went to get ready. 

7p.m. came and five of the six residents reported for duty in the hospital lobby. It had been miraculously transformed over the last 48 hours into a spectacular sight. There was a long bar down one side and the majority of the rest of the space was taken up by tall tables and strategically placed seating.

The five of them stood together around a table having their first drinks of the evening. They had been warned to behave themselves and not to take too much advantage of the free bar.

Audrey arrived a little late and stood watching from a vantage point for a short while. The men had scrubbed up well in their tuxedos. As expected, Kevin was immaculate and wore a beautiful, bespoke suit. Alex was at the other end of the scale and had been scolded by Joanne for not having ironed his shirt again. He was told that under no circumstances, should he remove his jacket. Delun looked very dapper in his tux and then there was Neil.

Neil looked so handsome. He wore a black tuxedo just like most of the other men in the room but he seemed to exude a confidence which made him more attractive than usual. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who noticed as he was approached by a couple of ladies while she watched.

He gave each of them his undivided attention and used his most dazzling smile to no doubt charm them. As the last lady moved on, he didn't turn back to the group. He lifted his chin slightly and looked straight into her eyes.

'Damn it' she cursed inwardly, she had been caught watching him.

He smiled and waved her over. She greeted each of them individually and as she leaned in to kiss Neil on the cheek he whispered in her ear.

"You look beautiful."

She felt herself blush and excused herself to go to the bar. Jo quickly followed behind.

"Are you ok, Aud?"

"Yeah, just need a drink" she laughed nervously.

X

The residents headed their separate ways through the evening as they mingled with donors and VIPs. It was a good opportunity for them to do some networking of their own. The profession was turning out to be as much about who you know, not just what you know.

As the evening drew to a close, they were gravitating back together and gathering around one of the tables near the bar. The men were stood nursing their last drinks of the evening watching the dancefloor with some interest when Audrey and Joanne returned.

"What's so interesting?" Jo asked with a smile.

"Neil dancing with someone under the age of fifty for the first time tonight" joked Kevin.

As they looked over, they saw Neil dancing with a tall blonde lady of a similar age. They were both smiling and chatting away as they swayed to the music.

"Who is that?" Audrey asked. "She's a bit young to be a donor."

"That is the granddaughter of the hospital founder, Jessica Preston. Law student by all accounts." Alex confirmed.

"She must be nice" Delun joked. "He's lasted more than one song with this one!"

Jo glanced over at Audrey to try and gauge her reaction but she remained stoic. After another ten minutes, she checked her watch and said her goodbyes to the group.

She didn't disturb Neil and his dancing partner and headed outside to wait for her lift. Kashal would arrive soon to drive her home.

X

As she stood waiting away from the front doors, she spotted movement as more people made to leave. Walking out of the building arm in arm were Neil and Jessica talking and laughing as they went.

She stepped back into the shadow not wanting to be seen. She watched as they crossed the car park and headed to a shiny new car parked in one of the many rows.

Just then Kashal pulled up kerbside, wound down the window and called to get her attention. She got in the passenger seat, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"Hi" Kash said with a smile. "Did you enjoy?"

"It was ok. Good to meet some new contacts" she replied stiffly.

He pulled away from the kerb and they headed home in their usual silence. She couldn't help her mind wandering to Neil and thinking where he was going tonight.

If she'd watched a moment or two longer she would have seen him walk Jessica to her car. She kissed his cheek and gave him her card while they made casual arrangements to meet up next time she was in town.

After making sure she was underway, he headed back to the reception. He stopped at the crosswalk and was sure he saw Audrey getting into a dark sedan and pulling away on the other side of the parking lot.

He found his thoughts going straight back to Audrey and feeling a little disappointed that he didn't get to dance with her tonight. 


	6. Chapter 6

**This one isn't my favourite chapter, it's a bit flaky but it is required for the future, I promise!**

It was a couple of days before Neil saw Audrey again, their shifts just didn't seem to align. He was sitting in the on-call room getting teased by Kevin and Alex about his success with the ladies at the Gala. As Audrey and Joanne joined them, it seemed the conversation was picking up the pace.

"I bet nearly all the donations came from ladies you danced with Melendez" Alex laughed.

"Just doing my job" Neil answered dryly. "Most of them were trying to marry me off to their granddaughters" he laughed.

"You didn't need any help there either" joked Alex. "That pretty little lady from the end of the night? Looking for a bit if rough was she?!"

"Can we drop this please?" he said sharply, glancing at Audrey, an act that didn't go unnoticed by most of the group.

"Sure, sorry" said Alex. "That was too much."

"What's on the roster for today?" Kevin asked changing the subject. "I hear Chen has an appendectomy. Maybe even get his hands dirty."

The conversation change didn't seem to lift the mood between them so they made their excuses and went off to collect their first assignments for the day.

Neil hung back a moment to try and catch Audrey, he wanted to explain what she thought she might have seen at the end of the Gala.

Before he spoke, she jumped in.

"Think you'll see her again?" she looked shocked at herself for even asking and immediately apologised. "Sorry, it's none of my business."

"It's ok" Neil said trying to make things less awkward. "She's a law student on the East Coast, she's gone back to school. Maybe we'll catch up when she comes home next, maybe not."

"I'm sorry, it's really not my business. I shouldn't pry" she said as she turned to leave.

He put his hand out to stop her and she turned on a sixpence.

"I thought friends could talk about this stuff?" he asked. "We're friends right?"

"Absolutely" she smiled and walked out.

He sighed and leaned heavily against the wall and jumped as Joanne came bursting back in to pick up her cell phone.

"You ok Melendez?" she asked.

"Sure" he replied rubbing his hand over her face.

"You know she feels something too, right" she continued. "She just can't..."

"I know she's married, it's ok. I understand."

"Ok smartass, you think you know everything. But do you know she's not happy" she said.

"I didn't" he admitted, feeling more conflicted than before. After Jo had explained some of her situation, he really didn't know what to do.

"Just think about that for a while" Jo said on her way out of the door.

X

Later that shift, they finally caught up with Delun. Kevin and Neil found him in the locker room, once again, with his head in his hands.

"Where have you been Del, thought you had an appy today?" Kevin asked.

"I screwed up so badly this time" he said in a panicked voice.

"It can't have been that bad" Neil encouraged. "What happened?"

"I dropped it?" Delun said quietly.

"Dropped what? Come on man, we can't help you unless you talk to us."

He lifted his head and looked up at them with despair.

"I dropped the appendix" he said shakily.

"That's not so bad" Neil replied. "He didn't need it anyway."

"Inside the cavity" he continued.

They both looked at him unsure of what to say so Kevin piped up first.

"How?"

"Well, our was going ok" he started. "The beginning of the surgery went fine and I cut it cleanly. Just when I was trying to remove it, I dropped it back inside" he said trying to hold in his tears.

"We ended up operating just over 4 hours because they couldn't find it. Four hours, stood there like an idiot on suction. They must think I'm useless" he said with a sigh.

"On your feet" Kevin demanded and Delun obeyed. "Get changed, we're going for a drink. Neil will join us when he's finished, won't you Neil?"

"Sure thing, go get a head start and I'll join you. I could do with a drink too."

As promised, two hours later, Neil caught up with them at a bar down the street. They had already had a few drinks and were being loud and generally debaucherous. He decided against playing catch up and looking at Delun, decided he'd be the responsible one and make sure he got home.

X

He clearly remembers the first time he saw her in public not in the company of the other residents. She was sat in a booth with a man who he assumed was Kashal. He was taking animatedly while she sat and listened, appearing to smile and laugh when required.

He had watched Audrey Lim laugh plenty of times and what she was doing now was not sincere. When she laughed, her whole face lit up and her eyes would twinkle. Her eyes were not twinkling tonight and his heart lurched in his chest.

They carried on getting louder until Neil decided it was time to head out before they got themselves in trouble.

When the time came for them to leave the bar and head home, they were going to have to walk right by Audrey and Kashal. He assumed that the other guys didn't know that she was married and didn't want to make her feel awkward. Her didn't want to put her in that position.

He steered them towards the door in an around about sort of way to give them a wide berth and as he was about to follow them out the door, he looked up to see that she was sat alone. He fought against every fibre of his being in that moment, he wanted to go over to her but he just sighed and walked out of the door.

He got out onto the sidewalk to finding Kevin and Delun waiting for him. They were having a drunken heart to heart and didn't see him approach. He heard his name mentioned and coughed as he approached to warn them. He wasn't in the mood for fun anymore tonight.

After dropping the guys home and making sure Delun got in safely he headed home himself. Before turning off the ignition, he sat a while in his car outside. His cell in his hand, he was experiencing a conflict. He wanted to text and check in with Audrey, but after a few minutes he decided that he would wait and speak to her in person.

About what, he wasn't exactly sure. Maybe to tell her he had feelings for her, maybe he'd chicken out and would just tell them about the boys night out. He certainly wasn't one to look to break up a marriage but if what Joanne had told him was true, maybe she just needed to know someone was there if she needed to make the tough decisions.

Next shift, he and Audrey needed to talk.


	7. Chapter 7

**Anyone reading Breath, I'm still on it, just enjoying this a bit more right now! Thanks for the support! **

The surgeries came thick and fast over the next few weeks. The residents were truly being tested to their limits and they were becoming increasingly aware that two of them would not be around next year.

Because of this, they found their time to socialise severely restricted and they saw less and less of each other. Neil tried to pin Audrey down to talk more than once but the opportunity wasn't forthcoming and just like that, the moment had passed.

They had all begun a series of meetings with Dr. Glassman to go over their patient reviews and assessments. The medical stuff had become a blur of complications, good and bad outcomes and some truly crazy events.

The most crazy of all was a poor theatre nurse passing out face first towards the surgical site. The reflexes of the nearest resident made them put out their hand which resulted in her falling backwards, cracking her head on the hard floor and starting to bleed. There was just total silence for a few seconds where nobody knew quite what to do until the attending started barking orders. The poor lady was scooped up and Kevin was redirected from the OR to stitch her up.

Neil's latest meeting with Glassman had taken a slightly different turn. It started with some inane small talk but then quickly turned to assessing his fellow residents. Neil was sure that Glassman seemed to be focusing on Chen, asking about his relationship with the other residents, what he thought his strengths and weaknesses were.

After a minute or so, Neil came to the awful realization he wasn't just asking out of interest. He was gathering ammunition to terminate him at the end of the year and suddenly Neil was horrified to realise he was even remotely involved.

It dawned on him while he was sitting there that someone he liked, his friend, who had spent most his adult life struggling in undergrad, medical school, and the lab, who had what he suspected was a six figure debt, was about to get their career destroyed.

Neil was due to head home after his meeting had finished and wanted to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible. He kept his head down and almost jogged to the locker room. As he turned the corner, he quite literally ran into Audrey. He bumbled an apology and burst through the door into the safety of the men's locker room.

Or so he thought. A few seconds later came a gentle knock as she pushed the door open.

"Are you decent?" she called, entering into the room more fully.

"Yeah, just grabbing my stuff and going" he replied.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong before you do?"

He looked at her. He felt guilty but he couldn't bring himself to tell her what he had just done.

"I'll be fine, thanks" he replied. "I'm going to go run it off" he said with a shallow smile. "See you in a couple of days."

"Sure," she replied, moving to let him pass. She watched him walk away thinking that there was definitely something wrong.

Next shift, she and Neil need to talk.

X

She remembers quite clearly the first time she saw him outside of work without the other residents.

She was walking in Penitencia Creek Park with Kashal that evening. They were going out for dinner and he thought a good walk would help them build up an appetite.

The park was busy, with lots of families using the wide open green spaces. They walked along, side by side in the early evening sunshine. Kashal was telling her about a new case that had crossed his desk that morning and how it could be the start of big things for him. She was listening when he began talking, but her interest waned and she felt herself looking off into the distance.

She saw him as soon as he came over the top of the small rise. He was thundering along at a quick pace and would be passing them very soon.

Her heart leapt, and a slight panic accompanied the feeling. Would he stop? Would he want to meet Kashal?

As he got closer, she could make out some more detail. He had headphones on, blocking out any background noise and was likely listening to something with a good beat to keep that pace going.

She was wearing sunglasses which allowed her to spend time watching him as he got closer. He was dressed in shorts and a vest which allowed her to notice his physique. His legs were toned but his arms were something else. She briefly imagined those arms around her, then shook her head to dispel the image before Kashal noticed her daydreaming.

They were about to pass and he showed no signs of slowing down. When he was within a couple of steps, he raised his hand to greet her, shouted 'hi' as he thundered past. She lamely raised her hand in response and returned the greeting. She found herself relieved that he hadn't stopped.

"Who was that?" Kashal asked.

"Just a guy from work" she replied. "One of the other residents."

"In your year?" he asked.

"Yeah, one of my intake. He..."

"Anyway..." he carried on as he headed back to his tale. It seemed that his brief interest in her life was over.

X

Neil ran on and got back to his car in record time, it seemed that he'd had a lot of stresses to work off. Despite being totally out of breath, he was feeling refreshed and changed his shirt quickly in the parking lot before heading home to shower.

As he drove, his thoughts turned to Audrey again. Would she be pissed that he hadn't stopped to say hi? After hearing what Jo had to say, he wasn't quite sure how to behave around her right now.

By the time he arrived at his apartment, he had made his decision. He was going to be a grown up about it all. He'd speak with Audrey, explain his behaviour at the park and let her know that he would be there if she needed him.

That's all he could do for now and hope that was enough for them both.


	8. Chapter 8

They saw each other in passing over the next few shifts they worked together. They smiled and chatted but there was no time to sit and talk the way they wanted too. Both of them were pushing as hard as they could to make sure they weren't in that last elimination spot in a month's time and that left little time for anything else.

He eventually saw his chance and thought about approaching her as she was halfway through her lunch in the cafeteria. He wasn't sure she'd even talk about her personal life if there was a chance anyone could overhear, but it was now or never.

She had seen him looking over, trying to decide whether he should go sit with her so she gave a smile and raised her hand to show that she had seen him. His grinned in return, his whole face lighting up. This guy wore his emotions on his sleeve, it could take a while to get used to this she thought to herself.

"Do you mind if I sit?" he asked.

"Would I have waved if I minded" she smiled.

"True" he replied as he put down his tray and took a moment to settle himself. "Can we talk?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows and looked around. He took the hint and took it slowly.

"So, enjoy your walk the other night?"

"Was a lovely evening for a walk" was the uncommitted reply.

"Sorry I didn't stop" he continued. "I had some stresses I needed to get rid of." He paused "And I wasn't sure that it'd be ok with Kashal?"

She looked at her plate for a moment while she figured out what she wanted to say.

"He's a good man really" she started. "We're just so unsuited in almost everything, he doesn't really know how act in a relationship. He thinks he's head of the house and stuff like that, you know? He's never laid a hand on me in any way, but he likes to know where I am and who I'm with which is hard work. "

Neil just sat and listened. He didn't want to interrupt her now she seemed to be opening up but the pause went on.

"Would he have been ok if I had stopped?" he asked.

"Probably fine, I doubt that he'd be upset or jealous. It's honestly at the point that he just doesn't care anymore. Neither of us have the guts to call it quits though" she said with a sigh.

"So we can be friends, that'd be ok?" he asked cautiously.

"Sure, friends is good" she replied while keeping her actual thoughts quiet.

He gave a sympathetic smile, still not sure about what to say. He didn't like to hear her talk like this but was glad that she felt she could share with him.

Suddenly, she gave a wicked smile. "So, what about you and Ms. Jessica Preston? Have you heard from her?"

He cringed at the question but of they were going to be friends, this sharing thing needed to be a two way street.

"Yeah, she's coming back into town in a few weeks for the summer" he replied trying to gauge her response.

"And..." she pushed.

He smiled and shook his head. "And she's asked if I'm around" he said.

"Aaahhh, a summer break booty call" she teased and laughed out loud at the shocked look on his face.

"Erm," he started. "I, um..."

She laughed again but soon after she had a more serious look about her. She leaned in a little closer so he sat up and did the same.

"I know we had that moment" she said in a hushed tone. "But nothing can happen. I know my marriage isn't perfect but I'm not the type to have an affair."

"Aud, I'd never" he said a little louder than he expected. "What kind of guy do you think I am?" Some people from nearer tables turned to look and Audrey shook her head. He sounded genuinely offended.

"Sorry, that's not what I meant" she said lowering the volume of the conversation again. "You know, in a different time and place I bet we'd be awesome together" she continued.

"I think so" he smiled back.

"Besides, you're still competing with me for a spot for next year. It wouldn't work out!"

"Hey, I don't think so" he exclaimed. "Competition goes both ways" he laughed.

"Bet you a dollar we're both good" she smiled.

"Deal" he said putting his hand out to shake on it. She grasped it and shook, and it felt to both of them that whatever this relationship was going to be, they were in for the long run.

X

The dynamic of the group had changed so much during their this first year. They had been thrown together as strangers almost 12 months ago and now they sat together as friends.

Despite his original protestations, Dr. Glassman had eventually agreed that when he gave the results for the year, they would receive the news as a group.

This was not the usual process but they petitioned him relentlessly saying that they wanted to be there for each other. At the back of their minds, they had all come to terms with the fact that Chen was not going to be around next year, even Chen himself. The other elimination spot was still anyone's to fill.

Dr Glassman stood at the head of the table, just like he did almost 12 months ago. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Let's get down to business" he started. "After today, as mentioned in your induction, there will be four of you moving into next year. The decisions have been made based on the assessments we've made throughout the year.

"I'm out" blurted Chen.

They all looked at him in awe and he just shrugged.

"Just trying to ease the tension" he smiled sadly. "Wouldn't take a genius to figure it out."

"Thank you, Dr. Chen, for your input and I am afraid you are correct. Your knowledge is phenomenal, I just think that maybe surgery isn't for you" Dr. Glassman finished.

"And secondly, one of our team has decided to make the move up the coast to Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. Congratulations Dr. Perry. You will make a valuable addition to their team."

The four remaining residents breathed a collective sigh of relief. They stood and spent time consoling and congratulating each other as Dr. Glassman looked on. He sat at the head of the table watching then interact, thinking that these particular residents had a bright future at St. Bonaventure and he was looking forward to being a part of it. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Heads up on a vacation for me next week with no cell service. I'll be back though!**

"Did we look that young and scared twelve months ago?" Kevin asked, laughing. They were leaning against the nurses station watching Dr Glassman show the new first year residents around. All of them were feeling old and tired after an intense year and the first years were all looking fresh and eager to get going.

"I guess we did" replied Audrey. "But look at us now! Lean, mean, surgical machines" she said smiling at the little group.

"I feel like I've aged ten years" Jo snorted. "They've got no idea what's coming, poor guys."

"As long as they stick together like we did, they'll be fine" Neil said earning himself some wrinkled noses in response.

They stood a moment longer, watching until the sound of Kevins page got their attention and they carried on about their business.

In the last month they had said goodbye to two of their friends. Delun had agreed that surgery wasn't for him and was going to redirect his focus on general practice. He had the medical knowledge, of that there was no doubt. It was just the high pressure situations which didn't suit him.

Alex was heading up to Seattle the week after the meeting so they'd had the chance for one last night out together before going and it was very bittersweet. They splashed out on a nice dinner for a change and were sat at a fairly upscale restaurant.

As usual, during dinner, the conversations turned some of their more interesting cases but due to the new surroundings, they talked in more hushed tones. They weren't the kind of conversations that the other diners would want to hear.

Once they paid the check, they headed out to the nearest bar. They walked along in a little group, the boys laughed as Jo linked arms with Audrey and dragged her along ahead to have a chat.

"So where does Kash think you are tonight? Late night study group? Emergency surgery?" she teased.

"Neither" Audrey replied with a smile. "I told him we were all going out because a couple of us were leaving."

"Aaaannndddd..."

"He was fine about it, wasn't bothered at all. I even said I might share a ride home and he was fine. Was very odd" she laughed.

"Wasn't expecting that" Jo replied.

"Neither was I" she replied. "But I'm certainly not going to complain."

"And you and Neil are acting differently I've noticed. A little less tension there maybe? " Jo continued, fuelled by the wine she'd had with dinner. "What's happened" she asked wiggling her eyebrows.

"Get your mind out of the gutter woman!" Audrey exclaimed. "We had a good talk, figured that it'd never work out and he's actually meeting up with Jessica in a couple of weeks."

"Ok, didn't see that coming" Jo replied sounding a little disappointed. "I figured you'd run off together and have beautiful, clever little babies!"

"We'll make good friends. We're total opposites, it'd never work as anything else" Audrey replied as they approached the entrance to the bar.

"Who exactly are you trying to persuade here Aud?" Jo teased as she turned and walked into the noise of the bar before she could answer.

X

They settled into their roles as second year residents quite easily over the next few weeks. The extra responsibilities that came with the role were embraced and they particularly enjoyed giving all the menial tasks to the new first years.

Jo and Kevin were still as thick as thieves and were beginning to become the topic of some hospital gossip. They took no notice and brushed it off, neither of them were bothered by it and they were happy that nobody actually knew the truth behind the relationship.

Audrey's newfound honesty with Kashal led to her being a little less surly. She seemed to be enjoying her new found freedom and was found by Jo studying some motorcycle brochures into get bag at the end of a shift which was a hot topic for the next few shifts.

Neil had been seeing Jessica quite regularly over the last few weeks. Audrey asked after her now and again to be polite, but was regularly berated afterwards by the others. They protested that they didn't want to know about the little rich girl who was using Neil for his obvious attributes and she rolled her eyes.

X

She remembers quite clearly she saw Neil and Jessica as a couple for the first time. Afterwards, she would reflect that she was glad she wasn't alone.

They were walking along in the sunshine in Hellyer Park. There were cyclists and joggers everywhere but one particular blonde head caught her eye. She must have left out an audible groan because she caught her walking buddy's attention.

"What's up?" Jo asked innocently.

"Can we walk a different way?"

"Why? This goes up along the creek and we get into some shade soon" Jo countered. "I need some shade."

Sat up on a wall up ahead, she had noticed Jessica. She just seemed to be sitting, enjoying the sunshine but Audrey figured differently. From what she had deduced from her awkward chats with Neil, this wasn't the type of place that Jessica would normally hang out.

"Jessica" Audrey said flatly nodding ahead. "Neil will be around here somewhere" she added trying not to sound as if it were a problem.

"Not necessarily" Jo replied.

Before either of them could say anything else, they saw him. He was running along the trail they were about to take and if they carried on, they would walk right into him. Instead, they stopped a while casually looking at a noticeboard, hoping that the couple would move on.

They watched as Neil approached and Jessicas face broke into a wide smile. He slowed as he got closer and when he was near enough, he nudged her knees apart to stand between them trapping her up on the wall.

She seemed to push him away in the first instance, but he refused to move and stood fast, laughing. He took a bottle of water she offered, took a few gulps and poured the last of it over his head. He looked up at her smiling and put his hands on her thighs while he moved closer and kissed her.

Jessica took his face in her hands and kissed him back. Audrey turned to Jo who read her face like an open book.

"Let's go Aud" she said, taking her friends hand and heading back to their parked car. "Let's ditch the sneakers and go for brunch. We both need a couple of mimosas after that" she smiled sadly.


	10. Chapter 10

She actively avoided him for the next couple of weeks while Jessica was in town. She developed a sixth sense for him and would always have an excuse on hand to leave the room if he appeared. She was a little disappointed in herself that she was feeling this way and figured that avoiding him would take away some of the sting.

Unfortunately, her actions did not go unnoticed by the other residents and even some of the first years commented on her peculiar behaviour. They had deduced that Audrey plainly didn't like Neil and she didn't discourage that sentiment among them. It was better than the alternative, gossip generating option.

Eventually, her luck ran out and he cornered her as she was leaving the ladies locker room at the end of her shift. Bag and jacket in hand, she tried to make her excuses but he was having none of it.

"What's going on Aud?" he asked her, following her to the elevator.

She pressed the button, willing it to hurry up so she could excuse herself.

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just running late" she replied in a non committal tone.

"That's not it" he replied. "The is more to it than that."

"I can't do this right now" she said as the doors pinged open. She breathed a sign of relief and got in, only for him to follow her, not happy with her evasive answer.

"Yes, we do this right now please. I'm hearing rumours about myself from the nursing staff that we've fallen out and it's not okay."

"Fine" she sighed. There was nobody in the elevator car with them so she blurted "I saw you and Jessica in Hellyer Park a couple of weeks ago. I avoided you guys on purpose. I felt...I don't know how I felt but I didn't like it. Sorry, I know I've got no right to..."

"It's ok, I get it" he said softly. He was about to continue but they had just arrived on the ground floor and he didn't want to cause a scene as the elevator doors opened.

"How can we fix this? We could be great friends if we could work this out. I know we could" Neil continued as they walked towards the front doors.

"I don't know, give it some time. We'll figure it out I'm sure" she replied with a small smile. "Best stop this conversation here though, Kash is driving me today, he'll be outside already."

"Can I meet him?" Neil asked unexpectedly. "Fairs fair, you know Jessica" he shrugged when she looked at him quite confused.

"I suppose" she replied. "Lets keep the chatter work based though, okay. I don't want the third degree on the car ride home."

"Sure" Neil smiled as they exited the main doors. Kashal was waiting leaning up against the hood of his car. He stood as they approached and the first thing Neil noticed was that he was a good head in height above him. He was dressed in a sharp suit, shiny shoes and had a well maintained beard.

He gave a small smile as Audrey approached but did not stop to kiss her. He just held out his hand and Neil shook it firmly.

"Nice to meet you Kashal" he started. "We were just comparing some notes on the way out, Audrey is quite the font of knowledge" he said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Dr..."

"Melendez" Audrey jumped in. "This is Dr Melendez, one of my fellow second year residents."

"Neil" he confirmed. "Any plans for the weekend?" he asked politely.

"I've got a lot of work on" Kashal said. "But Audrey is off to see a movie tomorrow night. Some comic book thing as usual."

Neil looked with raised eyebrows.

"The new Transformers movie is out. Haven't had a chance to go yet" she confirmed.

"Nice, enjoy" Neil said smiling.

Kashal let out a laugh. Neil noticed that Audrey just closed her eyes as if she was hoping the ground would open and swallow her up.

"She's going by herself" he laughed. "Her friends aren't interested in that sort of stuff. "

"I'm sure you'll enjoy, movies aren't really for socialising anyway, are they? Can't talk in the dark, can you" Neil laughed, looking at Audrey who have a small smile.

"Well, it was nice to meet you" Kashal said effectively ending the conversation.

"You too," Neil replied. "Enjoy the movie" he said to Audrey. "See you in a couple of days."

They said their farewells, Audrey opened her door and got in while Kash walked around. Neil turned and headed back inside before they pulled away from the kerb. As much as he wanted to, he did not turn and look back.

X

Something was bothering him, it niggled at him for the rest of his shift. He saw some interesting patients, but nothing could quite distract him from the feeling he had after his meeting with Kashal.

By the time his shift finished the next afternoon, he thought he had figured it out so he showered and changed as quickly as he could once he was free to go. He grabbed a quick takeout from the diner just by the hospital and headed out to complete a task which he hoped would put his mind at rest.

He pulled into a parking lot and shoved his dinner down his throat before he went inside. They had learned in the early days of their residency how to eat fast without suffering the after effects and he smiled at himself.

He went inside, got himself a soda and sat down to wait. He watched crowds come and go but did not see what he came to see.

He waited... for over an hour, almost two.

Eventually, he saw her. She arrived at the movie theatre about five minutes before the feature was due to start. He had a brief moment of panic when he thought he might look like a stalker but figured it would now be a thousand times worse if she caught him leaving.

She joined the back of the short line to buy a ticket and he decided that now was the time.  
He joined the queue behind her and casually asked "Fancy sitting together?"

Her head spun like a top to look at him and the initial reaction of shock faded into a confused smile.

"Sure, that would be nice" she replied. "Although, I'm not here to socialise, you know?" she smiled referring back to their conversation from the day before.

They purchased their tickets along with one or two items from the concession stand and went inside to claim their seats. The theatre was not crowded so they had their pick and sat in comfortable silence until the feature started.

The movie began with a bang. Neil glanced over at Audrey a few times and decided that the look on her face was one he'd quite happily look at again and again. She was totally enthralled by the action on screen and sat with a small smile on her face the entire time.

Over an hour in, Audrey looked over and saw Neil with his head back on the seat and his eyes closed. She stifled a laugh as she realised he had fallen asleep. He had just finished an extremely long shift at the hospital and she didn't have the heart to nudge him awake.

She pretended not to notice when the movie finale got louder and louder and he startled awake but just smiled quietly to herself.

"Did you enjoy that?" Audrey asked as they walked back towards the foyer.

"Erm, bits of it" Neil replied. "I've not seen the first one so not sure what was going on to be honest" he smiled as he held her jacket for her to put her arms in.

As they walked to the car, Audrey tried to compose the words to a question she needed answering.

As they got to her car, Neil leaned past and opened her door for her to get inside. She turned to face him.

"Why did you come tonight?" she asked looking confused.

He leaned on his forearm along the top of her door, his fingers stopping just millimetres from hers and took a deep breath in.

"I just thought you might want some company" he replied. "It's what friends do right?"

"But how did you know what theatre? What viewing to come to?"

He looked down at his feet and mumbled something she couldn't catch.

"Pardon?" she pushed, "I didn't get that."

He looked up, right into her eyes. "I didn't know, I guessed. I waited over an hour and would have waited until the last showing if I had too" he said quickly. "Sorry if that's weird" he said looking back to his feet.

"It's a little weird" she agreed. "But it's also the nicest thing anyone has done for me for a long time. Thank you." she smiled.

They just stood a moment, looking at each other with goofy little smiles on their faces until a nearby car store slamming made them jump.

"I'd best be heading back..." Audrey started.

"Sure," Neil replied, stepping back for her to close her door. "See you in a day or so."

He stood and watched as she pulled away before heading to his own car on the other side of the lot. Anyone walking past would have thought he was coming away from a successful first date, looking at the little smile on his face.

He got into his car, leaned back against the headrest and sighed. He had enjoyed the parts of the film he saw and had definitely enjoyed seeing Audrey. Maybe he could suggest this as a 'thing' when the moment presented itself.

X

He was back at St Bonaventure about 36 hours later to start his next shift. Dropping his bag on the bench in the locker room, he went to put the combination on his locker when he saw the door slightly ajar. He didn't keep valuables in there while he was away from there hospital so just figured he hadn't closed it properly last time he left.

He threw his bag into the bottom and as he went to hang up his jacket, he noticed a packet on the top shelf. Frowning to himself, he gently took it down and peered inside. His face broke into a large smile as he picked out a DVD copy of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

There was no note or tag on it, but there was no doubt who had put it there. This friends thing was going to work out after all. 


	11. Chapter 11

A few short weeks later, three of them sat together in the corner of the hospital cafeteria eating lunch. They had saved a fourth seat and could see Audrey finishing up at the cashier's desk and turning to look for them. Kevin raised his hand, she smiled and headed towards them.

As she unloaded her tray onto the table, Neil's hand snuck out and snagged the small side bowl of salad that she'd been given. Without missing a beat, she took the untouched bowl of potato chips from in front of him and poured them onto her plate. Kevin and Jo didn't say a word but exchanged a knowing smile.

They didn't get to do this so much anymore so grabbed every opportunity they could. The topic of conversation was usually interesting cases and a smattering of their private lives but this time it had turned to the upcoming annual gala. There were two days to go and by tomorrow, the corner they were currently sat in would have been spruced up ready to entertain the big hospital donors.

Jo was finding it entertaining watching the new first years fret over getting ready while working their shifts. She was a lot more blasé about it this year and considered herself very well prepared.

"So will we be graced with Ms. Prestons company at the gala this year?" Kevin asked earning himself a dig under the table from Jo.

"Not that I know of" Neil replied casually causing Jo to look confused. He caught this fleeting look and continued to speak.

"She's been busy with exams, we've not spoken for a couple of weeks."

"So you guys aren't serious?" Jo asked trying to casually fish for more information. "I thought it was exclusive?"

"As serious as it can be for people living on opposite coasts. We catch up when we can and we're free to see other people."

"But you don't?" Kevin pointed out, which earned him a sigh from Neil.

"Like I have the time" he said. "This place is a vacuum for any kind of social life!"

Just like that, their pagers started going, one after the other. Lunchtime was over.

X

A mass casualty event was incoming and the calls had gone out that whatever you were doing, it was to be dropped like a hot rock. It was going to be all hands on deck.

They were stood away the entrance to the Emergency Room with gloves and gowns on ready. The attending in charge gave a run down of tag identifications and after a few minutes, they could see the blue lights incoming. Their biggest test yet was about to begin.

The patients arrived thick and fast and they were sent off one by one to diagnose and treat. There had been an incident downtown, where an individual had opened fire in a restaurant from which he had recently been terminated. The results were widespread, there were confirmed fatalities at the scene, and those gurneys would be taken directly to the morgue.

First year residents were given walking wounded. People had tried to escape and hide during the panic which resulted in falls and other minor injuries. One of the attendings had taken a police officer who had been shot by the perpetrator. He was in a serious condition on arrival and was taken straight to a cubicle.

Audrey was next in line for a patient and the individual that followed had suffered flesh wounds from an altercation. However, this patient was handcuffed to his gurney. It was the shooter.

She went straight into action, ensuring he was stable and diagnosing his injuries as non urgent. She tagged him as yellow and set about cleaning up some of the more superficial wounds.

She heard an urgent call from the cubicle further along that more hands were needed. She finished up the line of sutures she was working on and told the police officers she'd be back as soon as she could.

The police officer from earlier was in worse condition than they originally thought. Audrey was told to get her hands in and apply pressure on the thigh. The officer was bleeding out and voices were being raised as they tried frantically to save him.

She felt like she was literally up to her elbows when she heard another commotion starting. She could hear people calling for her and as they pulled the curtain back, she could see people running to attend to her yellow tagged patient. Judging by the level of activity around him, he had quickly turned into a red.

She was torn. If she removed her hand, this police officer would bleed out. If she stayed, the perpetrator could die. The attending directing the treatment barked at her forcing her to refocus as they took the patient directly into surgery. She was gone for hours.

X

The entire team was exhausted once the last of the patients were processed and treated. One by one as they finished their paperwork, many of them headed off to the Residents Room to try and catch some sleep before their next shift started. There was no point in going home to return to the hospital so soon afterwards.

Neil opened the door quietly to the dimly lit room to check if there was any space left. One of Kevin's long legs was hanging down from a top bunk with a first year intern fast asleep in the one below. The other top bunk was occupied by one of the attendings and Jo was tucked in under a blanket on the sofa. This left the other bottom bunk free so he kicked off his shoes and lay down. It didn't take long for sleep to take him, they were all exhausted.

An hour or so later, Audrey was looking for somewhere to lie her head. He heard the door handle click and opened his eyes. He saw her step gingerly inside, careful not to wake anyone. She had a quick look around and found all the bunks occupied still. As she passed the bunk by the door to leave she felt a hand grab hers and stifled a scream as she jumped out of her skin.

She looked down with a frown and saw Neil looking up at her. He moved over until his back was against the wall and parted the space he had made next to him. She raised her eyebrows at him and he smirked.

"I'm a grown man, I promise to keep my hands to myself" he whispered, smiling.

"You'd better" she smiled as she kicked off her shoes and lay down. It didn't take long for sleep to take them both.

Jo was woken a short while later by her pager buzzing next to her head. She grabbed it and shut it off before it woke anyone else. She sat up, folded the blanket she had used and slipped on her shoes. All the bunks were still occupied but by different people from when she put her head down.

She glanced around to check who was who but stopped by the bottom bunk nearest the door. She looked and smiled, despite her heart breaking a little inside.

Lying on her side was Audrey, one arm tucked under her head as a pillow and the other tucked in close to her chest. Behind her, on the same bunk was Neil. His position mirrored hers except his free arm had wrapped around her, holding her close.

She took out her cell and quickly snapped a picture before heading out to attend her call. That picture would go along with the other photograph she had stashed away. She was sure they'd be useful some day.

X

Neil woke naturally a short while later, inadvertently pulling Audrey closer to him as he did so, forgetting exactly where he was. This caused her to wake also, stretching slowly and shuffling into her back.

"Sorry" Neil started. "I didn't mean..."

"It's fine" she smiled. "Was pretty comfortable actually."

After a few seconds she spoke again.

"The perp died last night."

"I know" he replied, propping himself up on his elbow. "The officer survived though."

"It was my fault" she said sadly. "It looks like I chose the 'good guy' over the 'bad guy' which isn't ok."

"If that's what actually happened, then no, it wouldn't be ok" Neil countered. "But would you make the same choice again? Would you stay with the officer if we did it all again?" he asked

She nodded.

"You can't regret the decisions you make Aud, they'll often be life and death. You have to make best decision with the info you have. The officer would have died if you had moved your hand, yes?"

"Yes" she replied.

"And the other guy, what was wrong with him?"

"I don't know, I must have missed something."

"I doubt that very much Dr Lim" he smiled. "You didn't know he was going to die. All you knew is that your other patient definitely would. You didn't make the right choice, the was no choice to make."

Neil lay back down and they stayed that way, in silence for a few moments until Jo stuck her head around the door.

"Wakey, wakey sleepy heads!"

They laughed at their friend, and sat up to slip their shoes back on. Jo held the door as Audrey passed by but put her hand out to slow Neil's exit.

"What's up?" Neil asked her, looking confused.

"Jessica is here, she came to surprise you" she replied in a serious tone. "She's overheard a bit of gossip from the nurses station that you and Aud were cuddled up together. You might want to do some damage control."

Neil's shoulders slumped. "Thanks for the heads up" he said as he headed out into the hospital to find her. 


	12. Chapter 12

He found her eventually. He had been keeping an eye out as he moved around the hospital but patients came first and ultimately, his attention was redirected. He was passing by Glassman's office to head to the conference room for a pre-op meeting when he saw her. She was sat opposite Dr. Glassman and they were discussing something quite animatedly.

He walked on by, took his seat and waited for the meeting to begin. The attending in charge ran through what was expected of each of them during the procedure the next day and sent them away to complete the final bits of research and reading they might need.

They were dismissed after about an hour and there she was, waiting in the hall. He smiled cautiously and went over to say hi. He decided against kissing her on the cheek as a greeting but stood close enough that they could share a soft touch discreetly if the conversation went that way.

They stood, leaning against the wall, looking at each other. Both of them wanting the other to start talking first.

"What are you doing here Jessica?" Neil finally asked, breaking the stalemate.

"I just came by to see Aaron, I like to check in on him in person now and again" she replied flatly. "And thought I'd surprise you and we could catch up too, but apparently you were busy" she said sarcastically.

"Really? Why are you pissed at me exactly? " he asked, frowning.

"Dr Lim" she said abruptly.

"What about her?"

"What's going on with you two?" she quizzed him.

"Nothing! She's a friend and a colleague, that's all" he replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Nothing more?" she pushed.

"No, nothing more" he replied incredulously. "Besides, she's married. I'm not that kind of guy, haven't you realised that by now?" he said, getting frustrated at being questioned.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry" she said trying to contain the volume of the conversation. "I guess I didn't like hearing gossip, that's all. I didn't like the thought of you with somebody else" she sighed.

This did nothing to curtail his frustration. "And where exactly were you last week, after your exams had finished?" he countered. "Celebrating weren't you?"

"You know I was" she snapped.

"With who?" he pushed back.

She did not reply, she just slumped slightly against the wall. He didn't enjoy seeing her looking defeated but he couldn't seem to let go.

"So, it's one rule for you, and another for me then?" he said questioningly. "You can do whatever you like, and I have to wait around for you to show up and show me a good time when you feel like it? Hardly an equal relationship is it? Hardly a relationship at all really, don't you think?"

The look on her face shocked him. He had shocked himself with the amount of venom behind the last few words.

"I'm sorry" he said quietly. "That was too much."

"But you're right" she said holding back the tears that were filling her eyes. "It's not fair" she agreed.

As if being saved by the bell, Neil's pager began to sound signalling the end of the conversation. He turned to leave but she reached out to touch his arm.

"Can we talk more later?" she asked with a hopeful look on her face.

"Sure, I'll call you later" he replied before heading for the stairwell.

X

He spent the rest of his shift focused on his patients. He swung by the lobby to get himself a coffee and stood a moment in the relative peace watching the final preparations for tomorrow's Gala. He took a long draw of the hot, vanilla flavoured liquid and closed his eyes to savour the flavour.

Seconds later, he was startled out of his reverie by someone clapping his shoulders. He spilled some of his coffee down his shirt and turned to scold the culprit. He quickly changed his mind when he saw Kevin's cheerful face.

"So are you in trouble?" Kevin asked, giving him a nudge.

"Trouble? For what?" Neil replied.

"With Ms. Preston, of course" he teased.

"Ah, that" Neil said with a wry smile. "She's pissed because I shared a bunk with someone who needed to sleep, while she gets to go on vacation with her law school mates and do whatever she likes" he said snapped.

"Woah, I was kidding, take it easy" Kevin said defensively.

"Sorry" he sighed. "I've already been questioned this morning and she wants to talk more later. I'm not sure I'm ready for what she wants" he said shaking his head.

"You think she's going to want to make things more serious?"

"Right now, I'm hoping not, but I'm thinking she does. I didn't realise anything had changed. I could have been dating other people, just like she was, I just haven't had time" he said sounding exasperated.

"You know I don't think she'd be feeling like this if it was anyone else. I think it's because it's Audrey."

"Don't be so dumb" Neil replied.

"Everyone else can see it Neil. It's so obvious you two have 'a thing', you can't deny it" Kevin said smiling softly.

Neil went to defend himself further but Kevin held up his hand to signal he wasn't finished.

"You can't tell me that if she wasn't married and you weren't such a goody-two-shoes that nothing would have happened?"

Neil just smiled and replied "Maybe. But the point is, it hasn't."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that mate" Kevin laughed as he clapped his shoulder once more before heading back to his patients.

Neil stood a moment longer, just thinking. He and Jessica definitely needed to talk.

X

They met up at an upscale bar that evening to continue their conversation from earlier. Neil sipped at a bourbon, it would be his one and only drink as he had an early start the next morning. Jessica nursed a large glass of wine, she felt she needed the Dutch courage.

"So are you planning on coming tomorrow night" Neil asked trying to kick start the conversation.

"That depends on how this chat goes really" she replied.

"I'm not really sure what else we need to discuss, we seem to be on different pages here."

"We weren't, until I realised I didn't like the idea of sharing you with anyone else" she said, taking another sip.

"Anyone else? Or Audrey?" Neil asked feeling brave.

A look of shocked passed across her face for the second time today as a result of his honesty.

"Audrey, I suppose" she replied meekly.

Neil gave a wry smile, turns out Kevin was right.

"Why are you smiling?" Jessica asked. "This isn't funny."

"I know, it's just..." he paused. "You're not the first person to tell me that today."

Jessica took a much larger drink from her glass and asked "So what now?"

"We could go back to the way we were before? Or we knock it on the head? I don't think we can do anything else, not with the physical distance and this obvious trust issue we're have going on."

She looked at him with tears brimming in her eyes. She had expected him to fight for more, to want to be in a more committed relationship. Yes, she had made a few little mistakes but didn't think that he'd call time on what they had. She had not seen this coming, people didn't normally turn down Jessica Preston.

She let out a breath she had been holding.

"Ok" she said quietly.

"You're great Jessica, you really are and I care a lot about you. Maybe if we were on the same coast it'd work out but for now, this isn't good for either of us."

"I understand" she said, not daring to say anymore in case the tears she was holding escaped.

"Will you be going tomorrow night?" he asked finishing the last of his drink.

"I don't think that's a good idea" she replied sadly. "Maybe next year."

"Sure" he said. "I'm really sorry, I have to get going, we've got a big op in the morning so I need to get some sleep. Do you need a ride?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Will you be ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said sadly. "I'll call some of the girls to come and help me drown my sorrows."

"Sure. Bye Jessica, I am sorry" he said as he turned to walk away.

"Me too" she whispered as she watched him leave. 


	13. Chapter 13

Fresh from a good nights sleep, Neil was scrubbing in ready for the scheduled surgery he was assisting on. The attending in charge was an experienced lady who was very keen to have her junior doctors get hands on experience. She was an excellent teacher and Neil had learned a lot so far.

The patient was wheeled in and the procedure began. All was going well and Neil had just positioned the catheters with the wires into the patient's heart. The next thing Neil was aware of, was the senior surgeon leaving the room while tearing off her surgical gown.

"Oh, no" was the last thing he heard as she ran out if the door.

Neil waited a while, watching the wires just hanging out there pulsating along with the heart beat. He had never made to this point in the procedure alone before so he stood there a moment longer, looking at the monitor's thinking 'crap, what do I do now?'

He was starting to worry a little. The attending had gotten food poisoning and made a run for the bathroom and would not return any time soon. The cardiothoracic fellow was taking a break and was not returning pages or calls so it was down to him.

Finally he looked to his theatre tech who had been assisting on procedures like these since before he was born. She gave Neil a nod and guided him to flush the catheters to prevent blood clots. And after a few more minutes they properly removed the catheters and wires and Neil closed up the surgical field.

Neil thanked everyone for their work and the patient was taken into recovery while the surgical team continued with their usual procedures. Neil hung back afterwards to speak to the theatre tech, he caught her coming out of the scrub room.

"I wanted to say thanks" he said smiling. "Your guidance was invaluable in there, I really appreciate it."

"Oh, you'd have got it done eventually" she smiled back. "The knowledge is in there Dr Melendez, you've just got to streamline it so it's easy to get to. You're one of the most arrogant residents we've ever had, but for once, you actually have the skills to back it up. Have more confidence in your abilities and you'll go along way here" she said before she turned to walk away.

X

News of his successful solo procedure travelled around the hospital and he found himself sitting in front of Dr Glassman that afternoon. He was just finishing up a call but invited him in to take his seat.

He was hoping that he didn't look as nervous as he felt and was making a conscious effort not to fidget or tap his feet. He eventually hung up the call and turned his attention to Neil.

"I've heard good things about you today Dr Melendez" he said. It was the kind of thing that you would expect to be said with a smile but his expression was neutral.

"Thank you, Dr Glassman." he replied nervously. "I couldn't have done it without the rest of the theatre staff though, especially the tech, Sue."

This caused Glassmans face to break into a wide smile. Neil raised his eyebrows.

"Well it's true!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "It would appear you really are the nice guy they say you are" he continued.

Neil immediately relaxed but stayed quiet.

"A bit of humility goes a long way around here Dr Melendez. I just wanted to say well done" Glassman reiterated. "That'll be all, I'll see you at the Gala this evening."

"Thank you Dr Glassman, see you this evening" Neil replied, rising from his seat.

"One more thing" he said stopping Neil in his tracks.

"Yes Sir" Neil replied turning back.

"I understand that you and Ms. Preston are no longer an item?"

Neil opened his mouth to answer but was met with a raised hand. "I wanted to assure you, that my personal relationship with Jessica will have no effect on our professional relationship, Dr Melendez" he continued.

"Sure, thank you" Neil replied again, feeling that he really could have said a bit more during this meeting. "See you this evening."

"Yes Dr Melendez, see you this evening if we are able with all the ladies queuing up to dance again" he laughed.

"Yes Sir" he laughed and headed back down to the wards.

X

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident and soon enough they were getting ready for the evenings event.

The guys showered quickly and Neil was currently teasing Kevin about how long it was taking to do his hair. He was precisely smoothing down every strand while Neil just quickly rubbed some wax through his and left it looking perfect.

"I hate you, you pretty boy" Kevin teased.

"Your just jealous that you'll be propping up the bar while a dance up a storm!" Neil joked.

"Hardly a storm" Kevin laughed. "If I remember right, only one of your dance partners hadn't had a hip replacement last year!"

"That's brutal" Neil laughed. "Brutal, but true."

"It's she coming this year?"

"Not this year," he replied. "Jessica and I aren't seeing each other right now. She thought it might be awkward. "

"Can't say I'm sorry" Kevin said. "I don't think she was a good fit for you. I get a sense of these things, you know" he smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we stop gossiping like girls and get a drink" Neil smiled, shaking his head. "Let's go."

The friends headed out of the locker room and took the elevator down to the lobby. They had been watching the space change over the last couple of days, and the lighting and the music tonight made it look special.

Their first stop was the bar, Kevin for a glass of red and Neil for a large bourbon. They wandered over to a free table and stood waiting, Jo and Audrey would be along soon to keep them company.

When they eventually arrived, almost thirty minutes later, Neil was already taking his first turn on the dance floor with one of older ladies. He had ignored Kevin's jibe about hips as he passed and spent a couple of dances entertaining her.

"No, thank you Mrs. Gunther" they heard him say as they parted ways at the edge of the dancefloor. As he arrived back at the table he shuffled in next to Audrey, bumping her arm to get her to move along a little.

"Started early tonight stud!" Jo laughed.

"Come on, your turn" he said surprising her and grabbing her hand. "I've got to dance with someone under 50 tonight!"

"You're such a charmer!" Jo said smacking his arm. "But ok, let's go."

They chatted idly as they moved around the dancefloor, catching up on each other's day and such.

"So, are you going to ask Audrey to dance tonight too?" she asked

"Think I should?" he replied.

"I do" she replied smiling.

"Maybe I will" he smiled back.

X

The night was getting on and the donors were starting to leave after a successful evening for the hospital. Plenty of money was pledged and the management was very happy with how the whole event had gone.

Neil looked around to try and find Audrey in what was left of the crowd. He spotted her across the room, sat in a stool looking poised and elegant in a long black dress.

He made a beeline for her and started smiling as he made his approach. She was shaking her head, and looking like she would rather be anywhere else right now.

He stopped in front of her and held out his hand.

"Would you like to dance" he asked.

"I don't think..."

"Please?" he pushed, with a small smile. "I think I've danced with everyone he except you. And you're the one I want to dance with the most" he said, getting a little embarrassed and looking to the floor. "Sorry, too much bourbon."

She smiled back at him and she slid down from her seat. She took his hand and led him into the middle of the dancefloor as the first notes of 'The Way You Look Tonight' by Frank Sinatra, rang out.

They stood close, but not too close; they touched, but just the right amount and they smiled at each other shyly as they moved with the music.

"You look beautiful this evening" Neil whispered in her ear, giving her goosebumps and making her smile a little more.

"Thank you," she replied. "You don't scrub up to badly either."

Neither of them wanted the song to end. They didn't speak as they moved around the dancefloor, but they did get a little closer, and they did touch a little more.

Kevin and Jo had made their way back to the table and were watching their friends in their little bubble, unaware of anything or anyone else.

"When will they get their heads out of their asses?" Jo said sounding exasperated. She got her cell phone out of her pocket and began to fiddle with it.

"Glad to see I'm such good company" Kevin said sarcastically.

"It's just a little project I'm working on" Jo said mysteriously as she casually raised her phone and snapped a picture of the dancing couple.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asked looking surprised. "That could be trouble for Audrey if the wrong people saw it."

"They won't, don't worry. I've just got a feeling, that's all. Call me an old romantic."

"Ok, old romantic" he said earning himself a slap on his hand. "Let's go make it look like all the residents dance like that" he said nodding towards Neil and Audrey, taking her hand and leading her back to dance.

They were lost in their own little world when eventually, the music stopped and the lighting was turned up a notch. They startled apart like they had received a shock and Neil opened his mouth to apologise.

"I should go" Audrey said, jumping in. "Kash will be waiting. Thanks for the dance, I enjoyed" she smiled.

She said her goodbyes to her friends and headed quickly to the door. Hopefully Kashal was running a little late and hadn't seen her and Neil dancing so closely.

She was relieved to see him sitting in the drivers seat, tapping away on his laptop, seemingly oblivious to the outside world.

"Hi" she said as she got in.

"Hi" he replied. "Did you enjoy?"

"Yes thanks" she said, holding her breath, waiting for more. But nothing came, he pulled away from the kerb and they drove home in silence.

Back inside, Neil was finishing his drink with Kevin and Jo. He hasn't said much after Audrey dashed out, he hadn't even responded to Kevin's jokes which was very unusual.

"You ok?" Jo asked.

"Yeah" he replied, sounding a little forlorn. "I don't know why I do this to myself."

"Do what?"

"Give myself unattainable goals" he said trying to be non-committal. His friends knew exactly what he meant.

"I've got good money on you two ending up together, so don't get too down about it. Frowning gives you wrinkles, you'll spoil that pretty face" Kevin said, making them all laugh out loud.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the false alarm yesterday. I uploaded it, re read it and hated it! Here's another attempt!**

**X**

On the ride home, Audrey found herself wishing Kashal would say something. After almost three years of marriage, their conversations had become sparse and meaningless. They still spoke about the mundane things like grocery lists and the weather but even those were now strained and forced. At the start, she was upset that things had cooled off so dramatically, but she wasn't any more. It was the new normal, that was life.

Right now, she was willing him to say something, anything. She wanted to know if he had seen them, if he was upset or just in his usual state of uninterested.

Her answer came as they arrived in the hallway of their condo.

"Do you dance with all your colleagues like that?" he asked flatly as she purposely took her time locking the front door behind them.

She froze.

"Kash, I'm sorry" she said quietly.

"I know we're far from a perfect couple but I thought you respected me enough not to flaunt something like that in my face" he said, sounding sad.

"We're definitely not perfect Kash, and we're hardly a couple at all" she replied, in disbelief. "But you know nothing has happened, and nothing will happen because I'm married to you" she emphasised.

"Is it going to become a problem?" he asked.

"Of course not" she replied hastily. "I made vows, I'm not the type to break them" she said sounding a little offended.

After a few moments of silence he spoke again. "Can you get the hospital to put you on opposite shifts or something so you don't have to see him" Kashal suggested.

"No" she said firmly. "I'm not going to give myself a reputation of being hard to work with, it'll ruin my career. You're going to have to trust me. Just like I trust you when you go off to head office for your meetings once a month" she said getting frustrated.

"I think I'll sleep out here tonight" Kashal said nodding towards the sofa, not even acknowledging her last statement.

"Up to you" she replied as she turned and headed to the bedroom.

They didn't say goodnight.

X

By the time she woke the next morning, he had already left for the office. He had made coffee but there were no other signs of life in the condo, they lived totally separate lives. She thought there might have been a little fallout from their talk last night, it appeared that life had gone back to normal.

She wasn't due at the hospital until after lunch so she pottered around the condo, sorting laundry and clearing up until it was time to go, albeit a little early. She wasn't in the mood for socialising today and hoped that her early arrival would avoid the busy, social shift changeover.

As she arrived, she walked through the lines of workers, moving like ants, cleaning up and packing away from the Gala the night before. Just as quickly as it was turned into an extravagant entertaining space, it was turned back into their daily haunt, even quicker maybe. She had noticed that a few steps ahead Neil, heading the same direction. Any other day, she told herself, she would have called out and they would have walked in together, but not today.

Unfortunately, those thoughts didn't last long because Neil had been stopped in his tracks by Jo who looked like she was dancing on pins. She couldn't help catching up with him just as Jo was starting to tell him about a crazy procedure from that morning.

"Perfect!" Jo exclaimed as she saw Audrey come up on them. "Now I get to tell you together. You're both early, let's grab a coffee."

"Hi, by the way" Audrey said, shaking her head.

"Hi" Neil replied, sounding a little groggy.

"Yeah, yeah, hi" she said. "Come on."

They sat around a small table with the steaming hot drinks, and got ready to listen.

The morning procedure was a scheduled hysterectomy and staging for an advanced stage cancer and not everything had gone to plan.

"We had the uterus, cervix, tubes and ovaries out and we had her abdomen opened from sternum to pelvis" Jo started, but looking around suddenly to see who was nearby. She continued in a much quieter voice which Neil greatly appreciated.

He was cradling his coffee gently in both hand just underneath his nose. It was still too hot to drink but he felt a bit better for inhaling the heady aroma.

"Anyway, we were waaaaay down in the corners of the pelvis digging out lymph nodes here and there when we found a massive one" she exclaimed. "I swear it was about the size of a tennis ball and had a bunch of vessels running through it. That was not good."

"We still had to get it out, but the blood supply was coming right off the internal iliac artery and was really tricky to get on to."

She took a pause to sip her coffee before the story made its crescendo to build the tension. Her friends both smiled at her, knowing how she loved a drama and eventually she continued.

"So, we clipped as many vessels as we could reach and then started cutting. I swear, we lost a full litre of blood in the next 60 seconds before we got control of the bleeding. The poor little first year on suction had no idea what was going on, the field was just flooding. Was scary as hell at the time but it turned out ok. She's in recovery now, Dr Edwards has gone to see the family" she said exhaling loudly at the end.

"Good job you laid off the free bar last night" Audrey smiled. "Maybe you should have too Melendez, you're looking fragile this morning" she said, speaking directly to him for the first time.

"You were fine leaving here, what happened?" Jo asked.

"After party at my place" he said gruffly. When he saw them both raise their eyebrows he continued "by myself, don't worry."

"Drowning your sorrows over Jessica?" Jo asked, fishing for information.

He quickly glanced at Audrey to see if she had reacted. He didn't know if she knew, or even if it would bother her if she did. He didn't know what he was looking for.

Jo's pager broke the awkward silence.

"Patient is waking up, got to go" she said leaving the two of them to finish their drinks.

After a few more minutes, Audrey spoke.

"So, you and Jessica?"

"We're done" he confirmed.

"Sorry" she said automatically.

'Are you?" he asked boldly. He had to much of a headache to get into this now. "I'm sorry, that was rude" he said putting his hand on hers to stop her getting up.

He felt a jolt but left his hand there, his thumb briefly rubbing the soft skin. She felt the jolt and after a couple of seconds, pulled her hand away, but she didn't leave. They sat looking at each other blankly.

"It's just wasn't going to work with the distance" he said finally. He didn't go into the commitment issues they had discussed, he didn't think it appropriate.

"Kash saw us dancing" Audrey said quietly in response. "Asked if anything was 'going on'."

"Sorry" he said, his shoulders dropping. "I didn't think."

"I did" she said quickly. "I knew he might see us, I checked the time, but I said yes anyway."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"You ok? Did you fight?" he asked cautiously. He knew he was getting close to overstepping the line.

"We don't fight" she replied. "Neither of us cares enough to fight anymore."

They sat a moment longer in silence, halfway between comfortable and awkward. Stuck in no man's land.

Audrey glanced at the clock on the wall, and nodded.

"We should go" she said standing up. Neil nodded and followed suit.

"I would" he said quietly as they walked together towards the elevators.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"I would" he repeated. "I would care enough to fight with you" he said solemnly, looking straight ahead.

She stopped in her tracks and let him keep walking. She didn't think getting in the elevator with him right now was a good idea.


	15. Chapter 15

They were all worked hard over the next few months and each one of them was impressing Dr Glassman with their skills and dedication. He had continued to note how close they were as friends and how they provided endless, unwavering support for each other through the good times, and the not so good. He had actually taken to thinking how he could get them all to stay on at the end of their residencies, that kind of camaraderie would only be a benefit to the hospital.

Before they could think twice, the festive period was approaching fast. On a rare occasion where they all had time for lunch at all, they found themselves sitting at a table in the cafeteria with Christmas songs playing quietly in the background. As it turned out, no matter how quiet they were, they were too loud for one particular member of their group.

"It's December 5th for goodness sake" Kevin pointed out to them, despite the fact they were all well aware. "Can't they wait a little bit longer before they start playing this crap?" he asked rhetorically.

"What's bugging you?" Audrey asked him as the others looked on curiously.

"Nothing" he snapped. "It's all just too happy and joyful. It's pissing me off."

Neil raised his eyebrows and tried to turn the topic to something else.

"Have you thought about going for the Fellowship here?" he asked Kevin. "Rumour has it that Dr. Richards is shopping around elsewhere. By the time everything goes through, you could be first in line. "

This piqued his interest briefly until he saw the hospital maintenance staff dragging along a Christmas tree of giant proportions which was intended for the entrance lobby.

"Oh for goodness sake" he huffed as he stood abruptly and stalked away muttering to himself.

"What on earth is that all about?" Audrey asked. That was certainly not normal behaviour for Kevin.

"His parents" Jo said quietly. "They told him a couple of months ago that if he continued with his current 'lifestyle choice' then he was no longer welcome there. I don't think he can go home for Christmas" she said sadly.

"That's crap" Neil exclaimed, causing a few heads to turn in their direction.

"Shush now, it's still not public knowledge" Jo said. "He'd be even more pissed if you kicked him out of the closet before he was ready" she scolded.

"But he's the only one if us who actually has leave, the rest of us have to stay here anyway. We need to figure something out we can't leave him by himself" Audrey said animatedly.

"Last he said, he was cancelling his leave. He wants to be working, says it will take his mind off things" Jo said sounding sad for their friend.

After throwing a few ideas back and forth they came up with a plan. They would have dinner at Neil's place. Their shifts were varied and in some cases overlapped, but there was a small window of a couple hours where they could do something.

"My place is only small" Neil said. "But we can get four around the table. I'll borrow a couple of chairs from the lady downstairs."

The last comment was met with raised eyebrows and caused Neil to scoff. "She's almost a hundred years old, I swear. I just help her with some stuff now and again like changing lights and carrying her bags. You two are like children" he said defensively as they continued to giggle.

"So you need to be at the hospital by 4pm yes? Do you trust us to lock up if we stay to clear up?" Jo asked.

"Of course, let's do it" he said.

"And your good Aud?"

"Yes, Kash will be with his parents in Denver for a few days so I'm good to go. Whatever you need."

With the wheels of their plan set in motion, they happily headed off back into the depths of the hospital so finish off their shifts.

X

When Jo casually informed Kevin of what they intended to do, his eyes brimmed with tears and he engulfed her into a bear hug. His mood shifted instantly and he was looking forward again which they were all very glad to see. The spring was back in his step and everyone around could see it.

The preparation for their little Christmas dinner was meticulous, it needed to be. Jo was working Christmas Eve and into the early hours of Christmas morning. She would head home for a few hours after her shift to sleep then head over to Neil's to help however she was needed.

Audrey was only due to finish at 11am Christmas morning so would likely go straight to Neil's and catch up on any sleep later that day after they had cleared up.

Neil was working Christmas Eve but then not due at the hospital until 4pm the following day which allowed plenty of time to get things set in motion.

And finally, after cancelling his leave, Kevin had secured himself the graveyard shift and was due into St Bonaventure by 8pm that evening.

Happy with their plans and arrangements of who was bringing what and when, they were confident that it would all go without a hitch.

X

The weeks coming up to Christmas were always extremely busy and this year was no different. The Emergency Room was always particularly crazy with people abandoning sensible behaviours during parties and events and often ending up worse for wear.

There were a large number of people brought in under the influence of alcohol with various outcomes. Some had their stomachs pumped, others needed stitches after brawling and one poor individual who required surgery after his attempts to impress a lady dancing on the table ended in a tib-fib fracture which need plates and pins.

They all took great pleasure in watching Neil fight of the advances of inebriated young ladies as he attempted to treat them until eventually he begged the triage nurses to share the load a bit.

A week before the big day, they treated a guy who had fallen from his roof in an attempt to have the most extravagant Christmas decorations on the street. A neighbor had called an ambulance when he had found him lying on his front lawn. He had slipped from a ladder while trying to carry another reel of lights to his roof. He argued that he was doing it for his children who turned out to be a couple of surly teenagers who actually preferred their father in once piece, instead of their house looking like a grotto.

Christmas Eve brought in a number of walking wounded for treatments after a last minute sale at the local mall had turned ugly. The crowds had been pushing forwards and once the doors opened, the surge knocked a poor employee off their feet but not a single person stopped to help them up. The employee needed sutures which Kevin did seamlessly, assuring the young lady that if it did scar, then it would be barely visible.

When their shifts finished on Christmas Eve, they were both more than ready to head home.

"See you tomorrow!" Neil called as he jogged to his car.

"Yes indeed!" Called Kevin. "Can't wait!"

X

Christmas morning, Neil surfaced at a decent hour and immediately switched on his little oven. Most of what they needed was at Neil's in various states of readiness, but the turkey was priority.

Once that was safely roasting away, he spent some time on a call with his parents. They weren't actually too far away logistically, but just far enough that going there for dinner would have been a stretch with having to work later in the day.

He'd gone from the call back to preparing dinner and was enthralled in what he was doing until he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in" he yelled. "Hope you remembered your wine, you drunkard!"

"Um, Jo was bringing the wine" Audrey replied as she walked into the kitchen area. "Isn't she here yet?"

Neil looked up and quickly tried to disguise the look of shock that had crossed his face. She had seen it flitter past and noted that she was not quite who Neil was expecting.

"Isn't she here yet?" Audrey asked, not really needing an answer. "Do you want me to come back later?"

"What, no! Why?" He asked, maybe sounding a little more aggressive than he meant to. They had never talked about what Neil had said the night after the Gala. Neither of them knew how to bring it up and the moment had passed the minute Neil stepped into that elevator without her.

"Just, well, you know" she started, sounding nervous. "Maybe it's not a great idea that we're here alone?"

"I'm sure we can control ourselves" he said with a soft smile. "Now come here and help me with these veggies, they aren't going to chop themselves."

"Let me check on Jo first, I'll be right back" she replied, smiling right back. She walked back into the small hallway and let out a big sigh as she leaned back against the wall. She took out her cell and called her friend who answered on the second ring sounding a little groggy.

"Where are you?" Audrey asked. "It's almost midday."

"No way! I'm so sorry, I overslept" she replied with a hint of panic in her voice. "See you as soon as."

"Sure, hurry up and don't forget the wine" Audrey said before hanging up.

"Do you think she suspected?" Kevin asked Jo, once they were sure the call was finished.

"No, of course not" Jo replied. "That was my best 'just woken up' voice. Hopefully those two will take the chance to talk a bit."

"Or something else?" Kevin teased.

"I don't think that'll happen" Jo smiled. "But maybe there'll be a bit less tension. The stupid thing is, they don't even see it, they think they are carrying on as normal" she laughed.

"We can only hope" he replied.

X

Audrey headed back inside to find Neil still stood at the kitchen counter.

"All ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, over slept apparently" she replied.

"Apparently?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I heard Kev in the background chuckling at something."

They stood a moment, not sure of what to do next but Neil fixed that.

"Come on then, peel those potatoes" he smiled. "They won't cook themselves."

She shucked off her jacket and held it up with a questioning look.

"Just through there" he said pointing at a closed door.

She covered the small distance in a few steps, opened the door and found herself in the doorway of Neil's bedroom. She took a breath and stepped inside, briefly talking a moment to appreciate what she was seeing. She quickly threw her jacket onto the bottom of the big, perfectly made bed and headed back to the kitchen.

"Here" he said passing her a peeler. "Get to it" he smiled widely and she happily obliged.

They moved around the small kitchen taking particular care not to touch each other, nervous that there would be another spark that they couldn't run from today. They worked in harmony, casually chatting away for the next thirty minutes or so and were pretty much done, still with no sign of Jo and Kevin.

Audrey moved into the living area to check the table and put out the cutlery while Neil kept an eye on dinner. When she was done, she came back to look for the wine glasses. After opening a few doors, she was still at a blank.

"Up there" he nodded. "No, not there" he continued as she opened the wrong door again. "Hang on" he said and he moved closer to put his hand on her hip to hold her still as he went to reach past her up into the cupboard behind.

He heard a sharp intake of breath from her and stepped back a little when he realised just how close they were.

Just a little though.

As he looked at her, about to apologise, a looked flashed across her face so briefly, that if he wasn't staring so intently, he would have missed it.

She moved one hand in between them and placed it gently on his chest, but she didn't push him away. She closed her eyes briefly and thought of her fingers tracing the inked antlers underneath.

When she opened them again, he was still just as close, his eyes black and looking at her with an intensity she hadn't felt for years. He took a deep breath and her eyes shifted to watch her hand rise and fall with the movement of his chest.

"Neil" she whispered making him blink for what seemed like the first time in an eternity. "We shouldn't."

He didn't reply. He reached up and got a glass from behind her, the movement edging him slightly closer. When he moved to repeat the action again, he felt pressure from the hand she had so firmly planted on his chest. He stopped.

They were mere inches apart, noses almost touching and all sensible thought disappeared from Audreys head. She shifted again and put their lips to just millimetres apart.

"Hi, we're here! Merry Christmas!" they heard as the front door burst open and Jo and Kevin bustled in. They startled apart looking sheepishly at each other while their friends went about unpacking the wine and desserts they had brought seemingly oblivious to the moment they had just disturbed.

They didn't step to far away from each other, feeling it would look suspicious, but neither of them could help from smiling, probably like idiots. That brief moment had almost made for a very Happy Christmas for both of them.


	16. Chapter 16

"Neil, that was amazing" said Kevin, putting his cutlery down and leaning back on his chair. "I'm absolutely stuffed."

"I second that" smiled Jo, sipping at her wine. "I think I'd happily let you cook for me anytime you like."

"And what about the potatoes?" Audrey laughed "I peeled the potatoes, you know!"

"Yes, they were great too" Kevin chuckled in reply. "But honestly Neil, you'll make someone a great wife one day!"

"Well you can all thank my Mom" he said. "Taught me almost everything I know. When they were busy with Gabi, I'd sort dinner" he smiled. "It happened quite a lot" he added.

He pushed back his chair and went to pick up his plate when Jo stopped him.

"No, no, no! You guys did the all hard work. Our turn now, least we can do swing as we were late" she said pointing between Kevin and herself.

"You two go sit down" Kevin added. "Have a break before you head in" he said to Neil. "Goodness knows what carnage these two left us to clear up when we get in tonight" he laughed

"Sure, ok" Neil replied. He headed to the fridge, picked out a bottle and headed to the small sofa. "I'm not going to argue with that."

"And you" Jo said, nodding at Audrey. "Off you go."

"But shouldn't Kev relax before his shift?" Audrey argued.

Jo leaned in close as if to clear her plate and whispered "We're not daft, we disturbed something when we arrived earlier. Go talk to him."

"Besides, I've got a few hours after Neil goes to put my feet up while you two drink wine. Go. Sit" he said, pointing at the space next to Neil.

Audrey picked up her glass and turned to go take a seat, missing the look that passed between Jo and Kevin. She nudged at Neil's knee with her own to get him to shift a bit and make space.

They sat back on Neil's sofa watching Kevin and Jo potter around in the kitchen, washing the dishes and putting away leftovers. One of Neil's legs was stretched out in front of him, with his bottle resting on his thigh. The other leg was bent meaning his knee lolled to one side, gently leaning against hers.

She looked down at where they touched and fuelled by the second glass of wine, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"So, earlier on, in the kitchen?" Audrey started in a whisper. "Before Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum arrived?"

"Yeah?" he replied, looking straight ahead.

"Would you have, you know?" she asked apprehensively, feeling a little silly.

"In a heartbeat" he replied casually, smiling to himself as he took a sip of his non alcoholic beer.

She blushed and looked down into her glass, not sure how to reply to his honesty.

"Good job we didn't though. If I'd started kissing you, I'm not sure I'd have been able to stop" he said in a matter of fact tone. "Could have made quite the show for them" he said nodding towards their friends in the kitchen.

She still didn't say anything.

"Besides, it probably wasn't the best idea" he continued, shocking her a little. When he saw her reaction he felt bad and scrambled to recover.

"Not in the way you think" he said cautiously. "I'd have felt bad afterwards, and so would you. I think we've known each other long enough to know we aren't into having some sordid affair. And I wouldn't want to have pressured you into that" he said smiling at her

She finally looked at him and he saw a shy smile start to brighten her face until it reached her eyes. He had never been any good at hiding feelings so had just taken to talking things through instead. He got the feeling that she was the complete opposite, it could make for a very interesting relationship going forward, he though to himself.

"We gonna be ok here?" he asked.

"Absolutely" she replied, smiling wider.

X

Around an hour later, Neil stretched out and made to get up from his comfortable spot on the sofa with Audrey. She had learned into him a little more as time had passed and he missed the contact as he moved. Jo and Kevin had finished clearing up some time ago and were perched on the dining chairs while they chatted away animatedly.

"I'd best go get changed, I've got to leave in a bit" he said sounding quite disappointed. As he moved away, Audrey felt cooler air hit her upper thigh and a small shiver passed over her.

"Bit cosy there weren't you" Jo teased as Neil moved out of earshot.

"Oh hush" Audrey admonished. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Did you talk about it?" Kevin asked.

"About what?"

"About what we interrupted when we arrived earlier" Jo said. "We're not blind!"

"Oh, that" she smiled sheepishly as she took another sip. "We're fine."

"Really! That's all we get?" Kevin exclaimed as Jo hit his arm to quieten him.

"Yeah, that's all you get" she smiled as she got up to refill her glass.

"You're impossible, Lim!" Jo admonished. "Go ask him if he wants to take any leftovers in with him tonight" she said nodding towards the closed door. "Kev, do you want a sandwich for later, the cafeteria will be on skeleton staff too?" she asked.

"No way, I'm not going in there!" Audrey exclaimed.

"What?" Jo replied with mock surprise. "Thought you were friends?"

"Fine" she huffed as she turned towards the door.

She tapped the door gently, so gently that he likely didn't hear anything. As she turned back to Jo, she shrugged her shoulders as if to say 'i tried'.

Having none of that, Jo reached past her and knocked harder and promptly walked back into the kitchen while Audrey stood, shaking her head.

"Yeah" came the muffled response from behind the closed door. He sounded much further away than she expected.

After trying to ask him through the closed door a couple of times with no luck she heard "hang on" and the door was pulled open.

He stood there with just his suit trousers on, with a towel around his neck, wiping the shaving foam off his face. He stood there, waiting for Audrey to speak. She couldn't help herself as her eyes flickered down and back up in the most brief of seconds. If he noticed, he didn't say anything but he smiled as she caught his eye and asked "What's up?"

"Do you want a sandwich for tonight?" Jo called from behind her, as it seemed Audrey had lost the ability to speak.

"Sure, that'd be great" he replied. "I'm almost done here, I'll be right out" he said retreating back inside

"I can't believe you did that to me" she whispered quite loudly to Jo, feeling a little frustrated at being put in that situation.

"Next time I get to knock" Kevin called over. "I didn't know he was hiding all that under his shirt" he said laughing, breaking the tension.

Audrey choked on her wine, and laughter ensued. They were still chuckling as Neil reappeared, fully dressed and ready to go.

"See you later" he said to Kevin. "Just post the key when your done, it's a spare" he smiled at Audrey.

"Sure thing" she replied.

"Come here" Jo said, speaking her arms to engulf him in a bear hug. "Thanks for this" she whispered in his ear. "I know he loved it."

"Anytime" he whispered back.

"I want one of those" Kevin exclaimed, getting up to hug his friend. "Merry Christmas Neil and thank you."

Free from Kevin's embrace, Neil turned to look at the last person in the room. The one he wanted to hug the most. They stared for a moment and he saw her give a little nod. With that, he stepped forward and she stepped right into his embrace.

"Merry Christmas Aud" he whispered as he dropped the smallest of kisses just below her ear

"Merry Christmas Neil" she smiled. 


	17. Chapter 17

After he headed out the door and down to his car, he sat a moment before he started the engine. He'd had quite an emotional day so far with his friends and hoped that the shift tonight would not throw any curveballs his way.

He looked up to the window of his apartment that faced the street and sighed. He would have given a handsome sum to have been able to stay with them tonight, but duty called.

The mood inside had fallen a little flat in the moments after he'd left for work. The three of them sat quietly, sipping at their drinks until Jo decided that the celebrations needed to restart.

"Come on" she said to Audrey. "Top up our glasses. We're not sitting here like this on Christmas Day!"

Happy to oblige, Audrey stood and headed to the fridge. She poured both of them a healthy serving of the extremely nice wine they were working their way through. A thought briefly entered her mind that they were hitting it a little too hard but that thought left just as quickly and she handed a glass back to Jo.

Kevin sat with a coffee and watched as the ladies got more chatty as the wine released their inhibitions.

"So whats the deal with your folks" Jo asked Kevin. "Have you spoken to them recently?"

"Not since I shared my news" he said with a tinge of sadness. "I think it'll be a while until that happens" he said.

"Well they are idiots" Audrey said boldly. "You're one if the most amazing guys I know and you should be able to love whoever you want."

"Oh really!" Kevin replied laughing as he got ready to pounce on the chance to change the subject. "You think it's easy to love whoever you want you little hypocrite!"

Audrey cringed as she realised what she had opened the door too.

"So how are things with you and Kash?" Jo asked.

Audrey dropped her head onto the back of the sofa and groaned. "Same old" she replied.

"So, still a glorified roommate then?" Kevin asked causing Jo to snort into her glass. "What! Sharing the bills and no sex, right?"

Audrey couldn't help but laugh at Kevin's brutal honesty. It was one of the things she loved about him, but it did hurt a little.

"So remind us again why you're still with him?"

"I've no idea" she answered honestly. "Security?"

"How long are you going to stay with him if he's not what you want?" Jo asked with a frown.

"I don't know" replied Audrey. "It's hard to just call it quits. Neither of us wants to admit it" she smiled sadly.

There was a brief pause and they both watched her as she struggled with whether to share something more. Eventually, it came.

"He's been offered a job in Washington, and he's going to take it" Audrey said looking in to her glass. "He's been working on a big case for a while and it put him up for a great promotion."

"Okay" Jo replied, trying to stay calm. "Are you going to go with him?"

"I'm going to stay behind to finish this year, for sure" she replied, not committing to an answer.

"But then what?" Jo pushed. "You can't leave."

"There are great hospitals in Washington for my third year" she started but her friend just began shaking her head.

"Don't" Jo snapped, holding up her hand. "What about us? What about Neil?"

"What about him? I'm married to Kashal, not Neil" she snapped.

"Don't we know it" Kevin added, rolling his eyes. "Why follow him if he means nothing to you? Stay here with people who care about you. Not just Neil, us too" he said, gesturing at the group.

Audrey put her head in her hand and rubbed her temples, not sure of what to say. She knew they were talking sense but the stigma of ending her marriage weighed heavily on her. It was not a decision she was taking lightly.

"I can't let Neil be any part of my decision" she said at last. "I can't put that pressure on whatever it is we have."

Jo and Kevin nodded in agreement but they weren't quite done.

"Ok, but in the interest of full disclosure, to help you decide, you should know why Neil and Jessica called it quits."

"That's not important" Audrey argued.

"But it is" Kevin argued. "It has a little something to do with you two sharing a bunk on the night of the Mass Casualty in the summer."

She looked at him with a confused frown.

"Jessica heard at the nurses station that you two were cuddled up and stormed off" Jo confined. "By all accounts, she didn't like that and decided she didn't want their relationship to stay casual. She didn't like the idea of him and you."

"Him and anyone" Audrey suggested.

"No" Kevin confirmed. "Him and you."

Audrey shook her head.

"She wanted to commit, he said no" Jo finished.

"He told me it was because of the distance and the pressure from work" Audrey said.

"Of course he would" Jo laughed. "You're both as bad as each other."

"Just stay Aud, see what happens. We both know we disturbed something earlier when our little plan backfired" Kevin admitted.

"I knew it!" Audrey exclaimed. "I knew I could hear you when I called Jo. You two are incorrigible!"

"Can't say it wouldn't have worked though, given another five minutes" Jo teased.

Audrey blushed furiously and found her the bottom of her glass very interesting as they gentle ribbed her.

"If we hadn't shown up, would you have?" Kev asked.

"What?" she asked feigning innocence.

"Kissed him?" he pushed.

"In a heartbeat" she replied using his phrase from earlier. She laughed while Kevin and Jo congratulated themselves on a successful plot with a series of 'I told you' and 'I knew it'!

"Right" Kevin finally announced. "Time for me to get going. Patients await" he said as he stood to gather his things.

A look of panic passed across Audreys face which they both caught.

"We won't say a word, don't worry. Not our place" Kevin said. "But don't leave it too long, if he hears a rumour..."

"I know, I know" she replied.

"Thanks for today, you wonderful people" he said as he kissed them both goodbye. "Try not to get to drunk" he teased.

"To late for that" Jo announced, holding up her glass.

X

Around 4 a.m., Neil stumbled up the stairs and fiddled with the lock on the door to his apartment. The shift at the hospital had not been particularly challenging but he had found it difficult to concentrate. He was looking forward to falling face first into his bed and sleeping for a solid eight hours.

He quickly got himself a drink of water before turning in. He looked around the apartment and apart from a couple of wine glasses left on the counter, the place looked perfect. A wistful smile crossed his face as he recalled the days events.

He started untucking his shirt as he walked to the door of his bedroom. He pushed the door open with his foot and squinted into the darkness, his bed wasn't empty.

Two fully dressed forms were sprawled on top of his sheets and were both snoring away. He smiled at them and shook his head, grabbed a blanket from the trunk at the bottom of the bed and headed back to the sofa. Kicking off his shoes, he tried to get comfortable. After a few moments, he ditched his shirt and pants leaving him in his underwear and settled in for a good few hours sleep.

He was woken a few hours later by the smell of fresh coffee permeating his dreams. Audrey had woken around nine, looked over at Jo and figured they would definitely be needing some strong coffee this morning. She groaned as she lifted her head but powered through.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him, curled up in a ball on his sofa and felt a tinge of guilt. His bed had been very comfortable and he was stuck out here after a long shift, on a sofa that was too short to lie on properly.

Creeping past, she put on a pot of coffee and turned to rinse the glasses in the sink. When she turned back, he was watching her.

"Morning" he mumbled with a smile as he attempted to stretch out to get rid of the knots from sleeping on the sofa. Giving up, he stood and stretched up on his toes, reaching towards the ceiling and letting out a groan.

She watched. She took in his form from top to toe. His strong arms as they reached up, the gap that appeared between his under shirt and his waistband, the toned legs and finally back up to his face which currently held a cocky smirk.

"Coffee ready?" He asked as he sat back down to pull on his trouser pants. He didn't think that walking around in his underwear was the best idea right now.

"Just about" she smiled as he came to stand next to her. She looked as he took a sip and closed his eyes as the hot liquid soothed him.

"Enjoy last night?" he asked with a smile, nodding towards the collection of empty bottles next to his sink.

"Yeah, but paying for it this morning" she smiled at him. "Sorry we stole your bed."

"Not a problem having you in my bed" he replied casually then looking alarmed as he realised how it actually sounded out loud. "You know what I mean" he stammered trying to gloss over the statement.

"Sure" she smirked, seeing the cool, calm Neil Melendez a little flustered was fun. She'd like to see that again.

They both relaxed again and were stood there when they heard a knock from the inside of his bedroom door.

"It's it safe to come out?" Jo asked, trying to hide the fact she was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Of course" Audrey called. "We're decent."

Neil's eyebrows almost hit the ceiling.

"She's gonna think we weren't at some point now, you know what she's like!" Neil whispered.

"I do" she whispered back.

And that's what Jo saw as she came out. Her two friends, stood shoulder to shoulder whispering to each other with smiles on their faces. Happy to see them happy, that would have to do for now.


	18. Chapter 18

It was a few weeks before Audrey plucked up the courage to talk to Neil about going Washington. She couldn't do it at his apartment Christmas time, she didn't want to spoil their new relaxed vibe but the longer she left it, the more chance he would hear some gossip. The hospital was notorious for not being able to keep a secret once there was a sniff of something interesting going on.

She had asked him to lunch, just the two of them which he had thought a bit odd, but he certainly wasn't going to decline. Any time he got to spend time with her was going to be good, right? So one Tuesday, they headed out of the front doors of the hospital together to a local diner to catch up.

She seemed tense. They sat in a booth, neither of them said a word to each other as the server filled their coffee cups and took their order. Once she had stepped away, Neil got straight to it.

"What's wrong? he asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, we just need to talk, that's all" she replied.

"I thought we were good with all that stuff" he replied with a questioning look.

"We are, but this is something else. Sort of" she said taking a deep breath. "Kash has been offered a promotion in Washington" she said as a matter of fact.

"What? When? Are you going?" he asked, firing questions in quick succession. "What about your residency?"

She smiled at him and stopped herself as she fought her natural reaction to reach out and take his hand across the table.

"Finished?" she asked with a smirk.

"Sorry" he said, looking a little sheepish. "Finished for now."

"He's been working on a big case for the last 18 months and it's led to a promotion for him. His firm has a vacancy in their office in DC and he's going to take it. He's worked hard, he deserves it."

"What about you?" he asked immediately after she'd finished speaking. He didn't care about Kashal, and he didn't mind her knowing it.

"I've got an interview at Georgetown University and one at Washington Hospital Centre next week" she replied.

"Oh" was all he said. He didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't ask her to stay for him, he had no right, but he certainly did not want her to leave.

"I wanted to tell you before it became gossip. I wanted you to hear it from me" she said picking up her coffee to keep her hands occupied, still fighting that urge.

"Thanks I guess" he replied flatly. "You know I don't want you to go right?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure I want to go either" she admitted. "I'm definitely finishing this year of my residency in San Jose, so you've got a few months of me bothering you yet" she said, trying to make light of the situation.

"So don't go" he said, looking her right in the eye. He looked sad.

"It's not that simple" she replied. "He's my husband."

"In name only!" he exclaimed loud enough that caused some heads to turn towards them.

"Shut up" she snapped. "You're embarrassing me" she said looking flushed.

"I'm sorry" he replied in a much quieter tone, leaning forward so she could hear. "It's just frustrating" he said shaking his head. "You could do better."

"What, like you?" she asked.

"Maybe?"

"You honestly think that we could have a relationship right now?" Audrey asked bluntly.

He balked at her words.

"We have feelings" he said. "We could see what happened if you left him?"

"What would happen is this" she started. "We'd have fantastic sex, then the spark would fizzle out and we'd argue because we'd never see each other because of work. We'll be competing for surgeries, funding and senior positions and it'd be a disaster."

He looked hurt and she suddenly wished she could take back everything she just said. She had seen a lot of emotions cross that handsome face of his from absolute joy to total grief but she had never seen this.

"You could have any woman you wanted" she said trying to appease him. "You only focused on me because I'm unavailable and your not ready for a serious relationship."

"Okay" he said flatly. "I get it" he scoffed.

"Neil, I'm sorry..." she started.

"It's fine, I know where I stand now. Thank you" he replied and focused on his lunch.

"You could, any woman would be lucky to have you. You're handsome, smart and actually nice when your not being an arrogant arse" she said, getting frustrated at him for shutting down.

"Don't, please" he said looking back up at her. "Your pushing me away so you don't get hurt. I get it. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry that you think that following your 'husband' to DC will make you happy. I'm sorry that we've just fallen out about it. I'm sorry that you think we'll be a bust. I'm just sorry" he said putting down his cutlery and wiping his mouth.

"It's think best I went" he said, standing up. "I'll get the check on the way out."

"Neil, don't..." she started.

"I think we both need some space from this" he said looking down at her as she sat in front of her untouched lunch. "Good luck with your interviews next week" he said and turned to leave.

She opened her mouth to stop him but had no words. Nothing she would say right now would make this situation any better so she stayed quiet. She looked down at her plate and pushed it away. She wasn't hungry anymore.

X

She sat and finished another coffee before she thought her legs would be stable enough to carry her back to the hospital. She walked back slowly, not in any rush to run in to Neil right now.

As she came up on the entrance, Jo was arriving for the start of her shift.

"Hi Aud!" she called as she got closer.

"Hey" Audrey replied, sounding sullen.

"What's up with you? Bad sandwich?" she teased.

"Not quite" she replied. "Lunch with Neil."

"Oh, now I'd expect smiling and girly hair twirling if that were true" she laughed.

"Nope" came the flat response. "I told him about my interviews next week. He was so disappointed Jo, he looked so sad."

"Oh" Jo replied. "Well what did you expect? The guy likes you."

"Bull! He likes the idea of me because he can't have me. He could have anyone he wanted, but he picked me so he didn't have to commit" she said animatedly.

"You told him that" Jo asked incredulously.

"Yes" she replied.

"Wow. That's kinda heartless Aud, even for you" Jo said shaking her head.

Audrey looked shocked at her friends honesty.

"Go to your interviews Aud, and spend some time thinking about what you could have here if you just had a little faith in us. Your friends" Jo said, walking into the hospital, leaving her friend outside with a lot to think about. 


	19. Chapter 19

She could have sworn she hadn't seen him at all over the next seven days while she was working and getting ready for her interviews. Kevin and Jo were being great, quizzing her and helping her prep which she found very helpful. If she had looked a little harder, she would have known that he was still around, attending consults and such but the hole he left in their social group was massive. They all missed him.

""So, think you're ready" Kevin asked as they wrapped up their last quiz session.

"As ready as I'll ever be" Audrey replied, closing the notebook in front of her. "I'll have some time on the flight to go over things again."

"What time is your flight?" Jo asked.

"Nine" she said. "Early start tomorrow, I should get going."

"How are you getting there?"

"I've booked a cab" she confirmed. "Easier than looking for a lift."

"And Kashal is meeting you there?" Jo pushed.

"No, he's busy. My old college friend Laura is going to pick me up. We haven't seen each other in a while so it'll be good to catch up" Audrey said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Kevin and Jo looked at each other, they were thinking the same thing but neither of them said it. They didn't want to stress Audrey out before her big day, despite not agreeing with her decision.

"Do you want us to pick you up when you get back? We can borrow Neil's car, he is going to a bachelor party over the weekend so he won't need it" Kevin asked.

"Bachelor party?" Audrey asked, ignoring the point of the question.

"His college roommate, Adam. He's Best Man in a couple of months. You know about that right?" Jo continued.

"Sure, I just thought he was stuck working?"

"He went to see Glassman and they figured something out. Those two seem quite close" Jo said, almost to herself. "A bit last minute but he's going on Friday."

"Oh" she said flatly.

"You can't expect the guy to be a monk Aud" Kevin exclaimed, defending his friend. "He put himself out there and got shot down. He deserves to let his hair down."

Jo looked at him, eyes wide. She couldn't believe he'd actually said it.

"You're right" she replied. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make this awkward and I certainly don't want you guys to have to choose between us" she said sadly. "A ride would be great, thanks."

X

She thought she would leave town without seeing him but it turned out she would literally bump into him as she left the hospital that night.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed bending to help pick up the scattered papers without realising who he had actually bumped into.

"It's fine" she replied, looking down on the to of his head as he picked up the last few loose pages.

"Hi" he said simply, as he stood and found himself face to face with Audrey.

"Hi" came her simple response as she fidgeted, trying to balance all the books he had piled into her arms.

"Do you need a hand?" Neil asked. "Kash is coming for you, right?"

"Erm, no" she mumbled. "He went to DC last weekend, he won't be back. I'll sort this lot out and catch the next bus, don't worry."

There were a few moments of awkward silence while neither of them knew what to say. They didn't want to fight again, especially in such a public place so silence seemed the best option.

"I'll give you a ride" he said suddenly, breaking the stalemate but immediately kicking himself. He didn't really want to be in an enclosed space with her right now.

"Honestly, don't worry" she replied trying to brush the suggestion off.

"It's no trouble. I'll even drop you at the end of the street again if you want" he said with a soft smile.

"But aren't you meant to be..." she asked nodding her head towards the main staircase.

"I'm early" he shrugged. "I've got time."

"Thanks" she smiled, looking down at her papers and back at him. "I'd appreciate that."

X

Minutes later, he pulled out of the lot with his passenger. 'What am I doing' briefly crossed his mind but he shook his head to dispel the feeling.

They sat in silence for most of the ride with the little conversation they had based on mundane things like the abnormally mild weather and the local sports team. Safe topics.

In what seemed like no time at all, they were sat at the kerb outside her place.

"Aud" he started as she moved to get out. He stopped himself from reaching out to touch her arm.

She stopped and looked back at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Good luck tomorrow" he finished. "You'll smash it, just like you always do" he smiled.

"Thanks" she replied, relieved that his words weren't the start of any more drama. "Enjoy your weekend" she added as she got out and turned to pick up her bag.

"Thanks" he replied, smiling a little awkwardly. "It should be fun."

"Don't drink too much" she teased. "Can't have shaky hands next week" she laughed.

"Can't guarantee that" he smiled. "See you next week."

"Sure, bye."

"Bye, Aud."

He watched as she headed inside, and turned the car around to head back to the hospital, their final exchange replaying over and over in his head. Should he have apologised? Should he have said more? Who knew?

X

He was cutting it fine making it to the hospital in time for his shift and as he rushed towards the locker room, he ran into Kevin on the way out.

"Bit late" he questioned.

"Yeah, just drove Audrey home" he replied casually. "Got stuck in traffic on the way back. Hate being late" he said as he bundled himself through the door.

Kevin followed him back inside.

"Did you guys talk?" he asked Neil.

"No, we sat in silence" Neil replied sarcastically.

"No need for that" Kevin replied. "I'll have you know, I had your back this morning when she found you were off to Vegas this weekend."

"Sorry, sorry" Neil said as he pulled his scrub top over his head. "I'm just frustrated with the whole thing."

"I know" Kevin replied. "But she's made herself clear, she's not going to leave Kashal so I'm afraid it's friends or nothing."

"I don't want nothing" he admitted quietly.

"So get this shift done, go to Vegas with your friends and find yourself someone cute to hook up with. Get this thing out of your system" Kevin said with a smile.

"Might be the best idea" Neil admitted back. "Let's get this over with then." 


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks for your patience and apologies for the delay! Life very much got in the way this week... normality has resumed (I think)!**

X

She landed in Dulles International on the Thursday evening and as she walked out into the foyer, she saw Laura. She was holding a handwritten sign just saying 'NERD' with a big smile on her face.

"Hi" she said, smiling widely and embracing her friend. "You look great, how have you been?"

"Hi Aud" Laura smiled. "I'm good. It's so great to see you. You ok? Nervous?"

"No" she replied. "Should be quite simple. I mean, who wouldn't want me?!"

"Always the modest one" Laura laughed rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's get dinner."

A short while later they were sat in a booth at a local restaurant. For a Thursday night, it was quite busy but they had squirreled themselves away in private corner so they could catch up properly. With both of them working all sorts of hours it had been a while since they'd had the chance.

"So why didn't Kashal pick you up tonight?" was Laura's opener.

"Wow, going straight for the jugular I see!"

"Don't get defensive. I've known you two a long time, I was at the wedding remember. I'm just worried about you" she said taking Audrey's hand.

Audrey slumped back in her seat a little while she tried to think of the right words.

"I don't know if I'm doing the right thing" she quietly admitted to Laura. "I've made friends in San Jose which you know isn't easy for me. They're new but they are good friends, we've been through a lot already."

Laura just sat and listened. She knew that getting Audrey Lim to talk about feelings was a quite the milestone moment so she wasn't going to interrupt.

"We work together" she continued. "We're a good group, we push each other, support each other and I don't know if i could do that all again at a new place."

Laura waited, it seemed as though Audrey was on pause.

"There is more?" Laura said knowingly. "What's going on?"

"I may have had it pointed out to me, that my marriage isn't exactly conventional" she said. "I'm starting to think I shouldn't just follow him on autopilot."

"The marriage thing isn't news to anyone but you. Who finally got you to hear it?" Laura asked with interest.

"One of the guys on my program, Neil" Audrey said, suddenly finding the bottom of her glass very interesting.

"Aud?" Laura said simply, knowing there was still more to it.

"I like him, and he seems to like me." She saw the look cross Laura's face. "Nothing has ever happened."

"But you want it to, right"

"I'm married" Audrey said as if it had become her mantra.

"If you want to stay married, work at it. You can't just switch off and go through the motions. You'll be miserable."

"What about Mom? She'll still be in California. I'd feel awful leaving her alone" Audrey said trying to redirect Laura's attention.

"She won't be alone Aud, she has your aunt's. You need to decide based on what's best for you."

"I'm going to these interviews" she said as a matter of fact.

"I'd expect nothing less" Laura smiled. "But think about whether it's what 'you' want? Best for 'your' career?"

"I know, I know" she said. "Now let's change the subject to something more interesting than me. Any cute guys at your new job" Audrey teased as the conversation turned and they started catching up on the last year.

X

Because he had booked onto the trip last minute, he flew into McCarran alone that Friday morning, a day after the rest of the group. He'd seen pictures on social media of their first night out so expected he'd find them all still fast asleep or maybe suffering from hangovers around the pool.

He walked out into the sunshine and looked over at the line of people waiting for cabs and sighed, he should have booked a transfer but it was all so last minute. He put on his sunglasses, jammed a baseball cap onto his head and started towards the queue.

"Where are you going handsome" he heard someone call from a nearby private rental. He didn't respond, he assumed they were cat-calling someone else.

"You in the hat" he heard, so this time he turned and saw a couple of ladies leaning out of the side of the minivan.

"Hi" he replied cautiously.

"Where are you staying?" one of them asked again. "We're could give you a ride!"

"It's fine" he replied smiling. "The line is moving quite quickly."

"Come on!" another called. "Where's your sense of adventure?" And those words, that question in particular piqued his attention.

"I'm at the Wynn" he replied. "Are you passing?"

"Even better" she replied. "We're staying there too. Hop in."

"Thanks" he said with a smile as he perched himself on a seat next to a quiet lady, tucking his bag by his feet.

"Why are you in Sin City?" one of the ladies asked from further back.

"Bachelor Party" he replied. "They all arrived yesterday, so I'm playing catch up."

"We're on a divorce party!" another called. "We're here to get Nicola laid" she said laughing.

The lady he was sat next to sank into her seat. "I'm so sorry" she mumbled. "They don't get out much."

"Nicola I presume" he said smiling.

"For my sins" she replied with half a smile.

"I'm Neil" he said holding out his hand which she took, and shook gently as she smiled more genuinely.

What should have been a ten minute drive took twice that, due to the busy weekend traffic. They eventually arrived at the Wynn and after he had helped them unload their cases, he thanked them and headed inside.

He joined the queue for check-in and heard them coming up behind him not long after. He laughed and shook his head as he heard "Don't worry, we've got a bunch of dares for you, Nic. You'll get at least a little bit of action this weekend, we promise."

"I just want to sit by a pool, drink some cocktails and gossip with you girls. Don't you think I've had enough trouble with men, I deserve a break!"

"Hi handsome!" he heard as they saw him in the line a little further along. "What do you think? You think our girl needs some action?"

He turned to see her looking at him apologetically with a blush rising in her cheeks.

"I think she should do whatever she wants, it's her party" he replied, giving her a quick smile. She mouthed a 'thank you' in response and he smiled a bit more.

He turned back just in time to be called to the desk, and once he had registered, he headed upstairs. On arranging the party originally, Neil thought that Adam would be safer in a room by himself, away from some of the potentially raucous behaviour expected by a few other members of the group. Now he had booked on, the only space left available was in Adams room but neither of them minded at all, it would be just like old times.

He found the room empty on arrival, so changed quickly and headed back towards the pool to look for his friends.

He heard a couple of them before he could see them and smiled widely as he walked out into the sunshine.

He heard a chorus of "Neil!" followed by "Your round, lightweight!"

He was greeted by a series of hand shakes and back slaps and a great bear hug by Adam.

"So glad you could make it" he smiled as he held him by the shoulders. "I'm not sure I'd have survived otherwise."

"Heavy night, last night?"

"Heaviest ever!" Adam replied.

"Want a soda instead?" Neil asked.

"I do, but what about them?" Adam asked missing at the rest of the group.

"Sod them" Neil replied. "You do what your like, it's your party" he smiled as he took off his shirt, threw it down by his towel and headed off to the bar.

X

Friday for Audrey was very different. Dressed in her business suit, she was browsing some notes waiting to be called into the interview at Georgetown.

She heard her name, rose from her seat and took a deep breath. 'He goes nothing' she thought to herself.

Almost an hour later she was back in the foyer waiting for her cab to Washington Hospital Centre. She imagined that the interview would be much the same.

'Why are you looking to leave your current program? Have you decided on your speciality? Which route are you looking to take?' were asked and she was confident she'd answered them well enough.

Her second interview was after lunch but she preferred to be onsite ready and grab something from their cafeteria, to be sure not to be late. While she sat, she called Jo just to check in on her lift for tomorrow.

"Of course, we're all good" Jo said. Audrey could hear her smiling down the line. "We'll be there!"

After passing the time for a few minutes, Jo had to get back to work so Audrey turned her focus back to her lunch.

The interview came and went following much the same format as the one from this morning and after she had finished she called Kashal. They were going to meet for dinner but she wasn't particularly looking forward to it. Some of the questions she had answered today had made her think on her choice a lot more. She was wondering whether seeing him tonight would make a difference to her decision.

They met at a restaurant downtown which was pretty quiet for a Friday, but it was still early.

"How were the interviews" he asked her, taking a sip of his wine. His question surprised her, normally life was all about Kashal, her career was a mere footnote to his.

"They went well, I think" she replied, fiddling with the napkin. This whole thing felt awkward. "I should find out next week."

"Good" he said. "Will you take a place if you're offered?"

"Of course" she replied, a little shocked.

"Why?" he asked quite abruptly. "Have you missed me these last two weeks?"

"Not really" she whispered, reeling a little from his question.

"Pardon?"

"Not really" she said, a little louder, surprised at herself.

"I know" Kashal sighed. "I haven't missed you either. Does that make us awful people?"

"No Kash" she replied, reaching over the table to take his hand. "I think we're finally seeing what everyone else has seen for a while."

After their revelation, they both seemed to relax. They ate dinner, had a real conversation for the first time in years and actually enjoyed each other company.

As they waited for the check, the conversation about their marriage struck up again.

"So what do you want to do?" Kashal asked. "Do you want a divorce?"

"We should, shouldn't we? If that's how we feel?"

"Could we wait?" Kash asked. She couldn't hide the confusion on her face and he continued to talk. "It's just the firm loves the family image. You know, family run and all? Could we work something out do you think?"

"Like what?" she asked, feeling a little disappointed.

"Like you could stay in California, we'll tell everyone you're finishing your residency. Then when the time comes that you're meant to join me, we can say we've drifted apart?"

"Are you for real?!" she exclaimed.

"Please Aud" he said, almost begging. "They couldn't fire me if we separated but I'm sure they'd look at me differently."

"So I'm meant to live like a nun?" she asked incredulously.

"No difference from the last year" he replied flatly. "And it'd be the same rule for me. I promise."

"Why do I do this to myself?" she muttered. "Sure Kash" she replied.

"Thank you Audrey" he smiled. "I appreciate it."

"Sure, let's go" she said, feeling flat.

"Of course" Kashal replied. "You can take the bed, I'll take the couch tonight" he said, not picking up on her mood.

'Story of my life' she thought, with a sigh.

X

Neil's Friday night was taking a very different direction. The group had agreed on a calmer evening not to spoil the plans they had made for the Saturday so were still around the pool bar in the early evening.

The group of ladies that arrived with Neil had just arrived and were certainly dressed for a night out. As they passed by the bachelor party, a number of heads turned and Nicola caught Neil's eye. He nodded and smiled before his attention was diverted by his friends hollering.

"He's been here half a day and he's already getting all the attention" one of them laughed giving him as friendly nudge.

"It's not like that" Neil protested. "She just seemed a bit overwhelmed earlier on the van. Nice to see she's enjoying" he smiled.

"It must be so tiring being so nice all the time" one of the others joked causing the group to laugh out loud.

"Exhausting" he replied, laughing along with them.

The ladies ordered a round of flamboyant looking cocktails and were sitting around a couple of tables nearby. So far they were keeping themselves to themselves until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He looked up to see Nicola looking down at him, standing a little awkwardly and looking nervous.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah" she said quietly. "Can I ask you a favour please?"

"Sure" he replied and stood up as she nodded to a quieter corner.

"What's up?" he asked with a smile.

"So" she started. "I've agreed to do their dares" she sighed. "Don't judge, I know" she said putting her hand up.

"Okay" he smiled. "What do you need?"

"I need to kiss you" she said quite plainly and laughing a little as he choked a little on his beer.

"So they're starting out with a bang then?"

She nodded.

"I know it's stupid, but if I do this, they'll leave me be for the rest of the night. They want me to just kiss a stranger and you seemed nice and normal, and you wouldn't get the wrong idea about it" she garbled on. "I'm worried they'll just get worse if I don't humor them."

He put his hand on her arm to get her attention and she went quiet.

"I've got no problem kissing a beautiful woman" he smiled. "But do I count as a stranger? You do know my name remember?"

She blushed again. "I checked, it's fine" she said quietly. "This is waaaaaaay out of my comfort zone" she continued. "I had to make sure."

"Okay, in that case, I think I'm ready" he teased. "Do your worst" he smiled.

She cleared her throat but didn't move. He raised his eyebrow and gave a little smile.

"You ok?" he asked for the second time that evening.

"Yeah" she replied. "I'm just... you know."

"Would it still count if I kissed you?" Neil asked.

"I suppose" she replied quietly, nodding.

He put his beer down on the table, took her face in her hands and lowered his lips to hers. Her kissed her gently and smiled against her lips as she began to respond. Her hands came to rest on his upper arms and she stepped a little closer towards him.

"Think that'll be ok" he murmured against her lips.

"I think that should keep them quiet" she whispered back. "Thank you" she said as she turned and headed back to her friends.

He stood a moment before re-joining his friends. He hasn't kissed anyone in a while, not for the want of trying, and he'd rather enjoyed it. Maybe he'd enjoy this weekend more than he thought.


	21. Chapter 21

Saturday morning, Audrey was gathering her things ready to leave. She had a flight at lunchtime and would get a late breakfast near the airport with Laura. Her evening with Kashal had ended quite quickly after dinner and she retired to the bedroom as soon as they'd arrived back at the apartment. She didn't feel like sitting around and making any more small talk.

She couldn't help comparing the place to Neil's apartment back in San Jose. The layout was quite similar, but this was bland and impersonal. She knew he'd only been there a little over a week, but there wasn't even a picture of her or a personal item to be seen. Neil's place was full of life, photographs of his family, nik-naks from here and there and his bedroom, well his bedroom was just him. Masculine, strong and smelt amazing - she laughed to herself at that last point. Since when had she cared how Neil smelt!

She lay back on the rumpled covers and stared at the ceiling, trying to drop off to sleep. Thoughts raced through her mind but she eventually drifted off and by the time she woke the next morning, Kashal had already left. A note by the coffee machine was the only evidence that another person had been in the apartment at all. It simply said 'Thanks'.

Laura picked her up dead on time and they drove back to Dulles chatting as they went. They found a themselves a nice spot for breakfast and Audrey set to filling her in on her dinner with Kashal.

"I can't believe you agreed to that!" Laura exclaimed. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know" Audrey replied shaking her head. "I suppose I thought I'd help him out."

"Why?! Do you think you'll change your minds if you give each other some space? Maybe realise you miss each other?"

"I doubt it" Audrey said, sounding a little sad. "I've just never really failed at anything before. I mean, I got a B once in High School, but I soon fixed that. It's just not in my nature to fail at anything."

"Well I think your lucky to have gotten this far Aud" Laura said sympathetically. "Maybe marriage isn't your thing? Serious relationships take work which you're not willing to put in."

"Wow! That's harsh" Audrey exclaimed sitting back in her seat.

"Am I wrong?" Laura continued , like a dog with a bone, she was not letting go. "If you had both worked as hard on your marriage as you did on your studies, things could have been very different."

Audrey just looked at her friend and nodded.

"Your probably right" she said quietly. "Relationships don't come naturally to me. All this talk of feelings makes me uncomfortable and I could quite happily go without" she said sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry if I upset you, bit I hate seeing you like this. So unsure of yourself" Laura said, moving her seat a little closer and taking Audrey's hand.

"It's fine" she replied. "I mean, it's not fine, but it's fine, you know?"

"Yeah sure" Laura said smiling. "And you're right. You suck at talking about feelings."

Laura waited with Audrey until it was time to go through security to departures.

"It was so good to see you, Laura. Thanks for taking such good care of me" Audrey smiled as she embraced her friend.

"Any time" Laura replied. "Maybe we don't leave it so long next time though, please?"

"Absolutely not. I'll let you know if I get any offers" she days pulling back a little and looking at her friend.

"When you get offers more like" she smiled. "And we'll figure out how to turn them down together."

Audrey smiled, a big genuine smile which brightened her eyes and made her cheeks glow.

"I love you, you know that right?" Audrey said.

"I love you too."

X

Saturday in Las Vegas was quite different. Neil and his friends were heading out into the sunshine for a day of what they had dubbed "manly activities".

Neil had arranged a morning at the gun range, which turned very competitive very quickly. As it turned out, Neils steady hands made him an exceptional shot much to the delight of the group. Another reason to roast Mr. Perfect!

Next was a ride in a helicopter (or two) to lunch at the bottom of The Grand Canyon. He'd been in touch with the tour operator and got them to switch out the champagne lunch for beers much to the delight the party. None of them were fans of the champagne lifestyle so the change suited them perfectly.

"This is brilliant Neil" Adam said as they sat eating lunch. "Such a good day."

"No worries brother, you deserve the best" Neil replied smiling.

"I'm glad you could make it, you know. It wouldn't have been the same without you. I definitely wouldn't be this sober" Adam continued. "What made you change your mind?"

"I just thought I should be here, being best man and all" he started.

"I call bullshit" Adam laughed. "You were stuck working, then suddenly you weren't?" he jibed.

"Honestly! I sold my soul to the devil" Neil chuckled. "I'm working every weekend between now and the wedding to pay it back."

"No way! That's gotta play havoc with your love life" Adam teased.

"Chance would be a fine thing" Neil laughed.

"The well has dried up since you and Jessica split, has it?" one of the other guys piped up, overhearing the last part of their conversation.

"Funny, funny" Neil replied, rolling his eyes. "You guys gossip like girls!"

"Seriously though man, if you're having girl trouble, the rest of us are doomed" another added with a raucous laugh.

They sat enjoying the views and the beers a little while longer until the pilots announced that it was time to head back. They snapped their last few photographs and strolled back towards the helicopters.

"Seriously, Neil" Adam started as they hung back a little. "Are you alright?"

"Yes mate, I promise. Just needed a break and some fun with my friends. I'll be fine" he smiled.

"Is it woman trouble?" he asked, not letting it drop.

"You could call it that" Neil laughed not going into further detail. Adam stopped still and just looked at him until he cracked. "I told someone how I felt and got shot down in a ball of flames! I just needed some time and some fun, so here I am."

"Well I'm glad" Adam said clapping him on the back. "About the trip, not the woman thing, of course.'

"Of course" Neil repeated as they climbed back into their seats.

X

Audrey landed on time back in San Jose and as promised, Kevin and Jo were there to meet her in Neil's clapped out old car.

"How did it go?" "Are you hungry?" came the simultaneous questions.

"One at a time" she laughed. "Let's get dinner and I'll fill you in on everything."

"Sounds great" Jo said, linking their arms and pulling her off to the car.

Sat close together at a half decent steakhouse, Audrey filled them in on the events of the last couple of days. Both of them were delighted to hear that she was intending on rejecting any offers she received and she'd be around for at least another year.

"Your friend Laura sounds very wise" Jo said nodding. "I'd like to shake her hand."

"Only because she said what you wanted to say" Kevin teased.

"Pretty much" Jo confirmed. "Like I said, very wise."

They sat and laughed and enjoyed their dinner happy in the knowledge that their little group would be whole for another year.

Eventually the subject the two of them had actively been avoiding came up when Audrey asked "Have you heard from Neil, is he having fun?"

They looked at each other, then back at Audrey.

"We've not heard from him" Jo said and it wasn't technically a lie. They hadn't spoken, but they had seen him featured heavily in social media tags by his friends and her looked like he was having a great time.

Audrey was not a subscriber to social media just yet and they were grateful for that. They weren't sure how she'd feel seeing Neil locked in an embrace with a dark haired lady captioned 'Mr. Perfect in action!' They weren't particularly happy about it, but if Audrey was going to stay married she couldn't expect him to wait around, could she?

"Do you think he'd like a lift from the airport tomorrow?" she asked them. "I could borrow his car?"

"I'm not sure Aud, I think he booked a transfer otherwise he'd have asked one of us. He knows we've borrowed his car" Jo said trying to put her off.

"True" she agreed. "I'm going to look forward to telling him everything on Monday."

"Everything?" Kevin asked.

"Yes" said Audrey innocently.

"Even about your plans to divorce?"

"Yes" she said confidently. "Maybe he'll be willing to wait a little longer? Laura said if I want something, I've got to put some effort into it" she said excusing herself to use the bathroom.

"Maybe Laura isn't as smart as I thought" Jo said shaking her head after Audrey was out of earshot.

"This could go horribly wrong" Kevin agreed said as her took a long drink from his glass.

X

Saturday continued in Vegas just as it started with the group of friends laughing and having the best of times together. Their afternoon was spent at some batting cages before heading back to freshen up for a nice steak dinner and a night in a club.

They had tickets for XS at The Wynn so were dressed to impress. Smart trousers and short sleeve shirts were the order of the evening and they had all scrubbed up very well indeed. They had a cabana table booked with bottle service and were very much enjoying being looked after by their servers.

They spilt off into smaller groups as the night went on. Some were dancing up a storm on the dance floor, others were propping up the roulette tables and a couple were sat out by the pool, having taken off their shoes and dangling their feet in.

Adam, Neil and two others were sat outside at their cabana, having drinks and people watching. Neil felt a hard nudge in his side from Adam who was nodding his head in an attempt to subtly draw his attention to a group that had just arrived poolside. It was the ladies from their hotel.

"Invite them over" Adam said. "They're good fun."

"You do it, it's your party" one of the others argued back.

"Fine" he said as he sat more upright and waved. He caught their eye and they headed over towards them. The guys found themselves sitting up a little taller and straightening their shirts as Adam invited them to join them at their table.

Once again, the group gradually broke apart even further and left just Neil and Nicola sat at the table, sipping their drinks.

"This is starting to feel like a set up" Nicola smiled into her drink after they had moved to sit next to each other.

"Seems so" he smiled back. "That ok? We can go find some of the others if you like?"

"It's fine" she said shyly.

"Good."

They sat comfortably passing the time, catching up on the events of the day. He found that they had spent the day in the spa, and recovering by the pool while the boys had been out all day.

"Want to go dance?" he asked after a lull in the conversation.

"Not really my kind of music" she said. "I like things a bit more relaxed. What about you? Your favourite music?"

"Most things to be honest. But I'll tell you a secret" he said leaning closer to whisper in her ear. 'I do like a bit of county, but that's classified."

She looked at him with a smirk. "Country?!"

"Ssshhh" he joked, looking around. "You can take the boy out of Texas and all" he shrugged making her laugh out loud.

He liked it when she smiled, and he liked it more when it was him that made her smile. 'What the hell' he thought to himself and he closed the last few inches between them and kissed her.

He felt her tense for a brief moment and smiled into the kiss as he felt her relax. They moved closer as and his hand came to rest in her thigh which made her tense again. He stopped.

"Is this okay?" Neil asked, resting his forehead against hers.

"It is" she said. "It's just, you know. I don't normally do this."

"Kiss strangers?" he smiled.

"Pretty much" she said s little shyly.

He sat back to give her some space and held out his hand. "Neil Melendez, nice to meet you" he smiled cheekily.

"Nicola James" she said shaking his hand. "And I feel like an idiot. I'm sorry."

"No need" he smiled, taking another swig of his beer. "Like I said before, it's your party. You should do what you want."

She laughed and shook her head as she mumbled something into her glass. He just looked, eyebrow raised questioning her.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that" he said.

She sat forward again and cupped his chin. "You weren't meant to" she smiled as she leaned in to kiss him again.

X

They woke early the next morning tangled in bed sheets and each other. After stretching slowly, Neil pulled the warm body next to him closer and he felt her smile against his chest.

"Morning" she mumbled.

"Good morning" he replied.

"Is this going to be weird?" she asked quietly. "I've not really done this before."

He untangled them just enough to scoot down so he could see her properly. She had one arm tucked under her like a pillow and had a nervous look on her face.

"It doesn't need to be weird at all" he said dropping a brief kiss on her lips getting a smile in response. "And if it makes you feel better, this isn't something I do every weekend either."

"I wouldn't mind doing it again though" she said letting her free hand rest on the stag head tattoo on his upper chest.

"My pleasure" he replied closing the gap between them again.

When they woke for the second time that morning, they were much more relaxed and familiar around each other. Nicola seemed to have gotten over her initial apprehension and didn't seem so keen to get rid of him. She even offered to make him a coffee while her grabbed a shower.

Walking out into the sitting area of the suite looking for his shirt which had been discarded in the heat of the moment, he was met with hushed whispers from the rest of the occupants.

"Morning" he said giving them a small smile as he headed towards Nicola and his coffee. "Thank you" her smiled as he took the steaming cup from her hands and took a sip.

"So are you guys going to swap numbers then? Or are you done with your plaything Nic?" one of her friends asked.

He watched her blush again at the suggestion.

"I don't think so" she said. "This was just a holiday thing, right? Besides, you live in Texas, it's not exactly a short hop to visit!" she said casually.

"No I don't" he replied shaking his head, watching the confusion cross her face.

"You said last night 'you can take the boy outta Texas'?" she said slowly.

"Yeah" he replied slowly. "Take out, as in moved when I was a teenager. I live in San Jose" he smiled, looking a little bemused.

"Oh" she said quietly, her face falling.

"Yeah, oh" he smiled awkwardly at her reaction.

"You should probably go" she said, taking the still hot coffee cup from his hand.

"Erm, sure, okay" he replied, unsure what he was meant to do next. After a few seconds, which felt like a lifetime to both of them, he leaned and kissed her cheek before he turned and left.

Closing the door behind him, he stood a moment outside the suite trying to figure out what had just happened. He shook his head and started walking back to his room.

"Neil!" he heard as he waited for the elevator. He turned to see one of Nicola's friends coming towards him. "I'm glad I caught you" she smiled as she approached. "Can I have your number?" she asked casually.

She laughed at the shocked look that crossed his face and jumped back in before he could object.

"Not like that! She's going to regret what she's just done. I want to help her out 'if' she wants to call you." The was particular emphasis on the 'if' which made him smile. "We're from Salinas. She was fine until she realised you only lived an hour away."

"And not in Texas" he said.

"And not in Texas" she confirmed with a laugh.

"Okay then" he said as he took the cell phone she was offering. He typed in his number and handed it back. "Thanks" he smiled.

"No promises mind" she reminded him. "Just in case."

"I get it, don't worry" he smiled and as of on cue, the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside.

"See you around? Maybe?" he said as the doors closed.

"Maybe!" he heard. 


	22. Chapter 22

It was another few days until their shifts aligned and they saw each other for the first time since he dropped her home. He hadn't asked their friends after her, he hadn't called or texted to see how her interviews had gone and she had felt his absence from her life more than she had expected too.

She couldn't be sure, but she had a feeling that he was actively avoiding her but she did her best not to dwell on it. She did not want to believe that.

She saw him across the cafeteria with his back to her. He was sat alone eating his lunch, his head down, more than likely reading some journal article and she took a moment to appreciate his profile. With his strong shoulders and his perfect hair he still carried the air of arrogance he'd arrived with almost two years ago but it suited him and had hot him noticed by the people that mattered. She decided she was going to join him and made her way through the seats until she was stood right next to him. He was oblivious to her presence, totally absorbed in the print on the page and startled slightly as she cleared her throat.

"Hi" she started. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Hi. Sure, no problem" he replied as he closed the journal cover and put it onto the seat next to him.

She unloaded her tray and took her seat feeling a little awkward as neither of them said a word.

"How was your trip?" came in unison, talking over each other. They stopped again, smiled and let out a little laugh which released some of the tension. "Good" they said together, laughing again.

"You first" Audrey smiled. "How was Vegas?"

He paused briefly before he began, not sure whether to tell her everything. Or even how he would tell her everything.

'It was awesome" he started. "Weather was great and so good to catch up with the guys. I didn't realise it had been so long."

"Did Adam enjoy?"

"He had a ball. It's all getting a bit real for him now, only six weeks to go. He's excited and nervous at the same time" he smiled, recalling some of the conversations he and Adam had over the weekend. He filled Audrey in on the activities they'd been up to, conveniently missing out any information about female company.

"Good" she replied. "Those six weeks will fly by, time seems to be going a lot quicker the older we're getting" she smiled.

"You're telling me" he smiled. "I swear we only started here last week. Definitely doesn't feel like we're almost into our third year."

She nodded. She was working up the courage to tell him about the talk and the agreement with Kashal when he pushed the point to the forefront, changing the conversation to her weekend.

"How were your interviews?" he asked, even though he didn't really want to know if Audrey was moving to the other side of the country.

"They went really well" she smiled. "I got offers from both places on Monday" she confirmed.

"The was no doubt" he replied with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Who are you going with?"

"Neither" she said bluntly. "I rejected them both."

His heart lurched in his chest and a took a sharp breath.

"Why?" he asked, looking a little confused.

"I'm staying here" she replied. "It seems Kash and I finally want the same thing, so we talked. We came up with a plan."

"What kind of plan?" Neil asked apprehensively, with absolutely no idea of what was coming.

"He stays in Washington, I stay here" she started. "He's agreed we will divorce but not for a couple of years. His firm loves the wholesome family image and he doesn't want to be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. We're going to say my residency won't allow me to move, and when the time comes to join him, we'll have drifted apart, hence the divorce."

He didn't know what to say but he had no doubt that his face was conveying his emotions quite well.

"We were just saying how fast time was going by, it'll fly by" she said, trying to reassuring him of something without saying it directly. She had lost her nerve when met with silence from him, and couldn't bare to ask him outright to wait for her.

"So you're going to stay married?"

"Yes."

"On opposite coasts?"

""Yes, for now."

"Oh" came the blunt response.

Even after she'd talked it over with her other friends, it hadn't hit her how stupid the idea actually sounded out loud until right this moment. Until she sat in front of Neil explaining this away, thinking she was just helping Kashal. But once again, it was to her detriment.

"Neil, I'm sorry" she said quietly.

"Me too" he replied looking down at his plate. "Another two years is a long time, you know. I'm assuming you're going to carrying on living as if you're married?"

"I'm sorry, I just..." she nodded.

"I wish you had a little more faith in me" Neil interrupted almost in a whisper. "One night stands aren't really my thing, that's not what this would have been for me. We could have had something special, I know it and I'm sorry that you didn't feel the same."

"I'm sorry..." she started again.

"Think we'll be able to stay friends?" he asked, interrupting her again. "I don't think I'd like it if you weren't in my life" he said, making her gasp a little.

To have such a personal and emotional conversation in such a public place meant their reactions were stifled but looking at each other, they could see that they were both deeply affected by the words being exchanged.

He put his hand out on the table, mirroring hers with their fingertips touching so lightly that they could barely feel it, but it was there.

"We'll be great friends" she smiled, hoping the sadness she felt didn't show. "We can still catch a few movies maybe? We could go watch Thor when it comes out if you think you can stay awake this time" she teased trying to lighten the mood.

"We could do that" he smiled, imagining his face showing similar emotion to Audrey's. "I'd like that. Besides, I get the funny feeling this won't be the last time we have this conversation so we need to get used to it" he said, smiling.

Their hands were still barely touching when they heard a commotion from behind them.

"Hey you two" Jo said as she recovered from the trip she had just taken. She'd caught her foot on chair leg and stumbled to regain her balance, somehow not spoiling a drop of her coffee anywhere.

In the brief distraction, Neil covered Audrey's hand with his, giving it a light squeeze before letting go as Jo dropped into the spare seat next to her.

"You guys good?" she asked innocently.

"Catching up on our weekends" Audrey replied. "Hearing some bachelor party tales" she smiled causing Jo to raise her eyebrows.

"Not all the dirty details" Neil laughed nervously, catching Jo's eye and shaking his head. "Nobody needs to hear that."

""Oh, no thank you" Audrey laughed. "Too much information" not knowing exactly what they had meant.

The three friends sat for a short while, exchanging jibes and gently teasing each other until Neil's phone lit up, making it vibrate across the table. He peered at it, not recognising the number and debated with himself whether to answer it.

"Who's that?" Jo asked innocently.

"Telemarketer maybe?" he replied.

"That's a private number" Audrey confirmed turning it to look. "Answer it."

"Hello" he said, sounding cautious until he heard the voice at the other end of the line and they could see his features soften as he listened.

"Hi Nic, give me two secs" he said as he raised his hand to the others, got to his feet and headed off to find some privacy.

They watched him leave, Audrey quite innocently and Jo cringing inside. Then she heard the words she'd dreaded.

"Who's Nic?" 


	23. Chapter 23

Neil sat on a bench outside the front doors to take the call for some semblance of privacy. He didn't feel ready to explain this to Audrey, especially when he didn't know what this actually was.

"Sorry about that" he said, taking a seat. "Just wanted to get somewhere a little quieter."

She could hear him smiling over the phone and imagined his eyes twinkling and his cute little dimples showing.

"That's ok" she replied. "How has work been after a weekend of partying? Not too hard going?"

"Not to bad. Could have been a lot worse" he laughed. There was no sound from the other end of the line until he asked "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm sorry" she replied. "I didn't know whether I should call or not to be honest. And I still don't know if I've done the right thing."

"Why not?"

"Because effectively, you're a stranger and I'm usually shy" she said with a nervous laugh.

"We don't have to be strangers you know" he suggested. "What do you want to know?"

"Erm, quite a few things but I don't want to quiz you and sound like a stalker" she smiled. "This is all quite new for me. I've not seen anyone since my divorce. I feel... awkward" she said.

"Would you rather do this face to face? We could meet half way? Neutral territory?" he suggested.

She paused before answering "Okay, that sounds good. When were you thinking?"

"I get off work on Monday next?" he suggested.

"But it's Friday today" she exclaimed. "What on earth do you do?" she asked.

"I'll tell you Monday" he laughed. "Come on, let's do it. Where's halfway?"

"Around Gilroy?" Nic suggested. "Not very exciting though" she said with a small laugh.

"It'll be fine" he said. "We'll make our own fun! You pick the place, text me a time and I'll be there."

"Deal" she replied.

"Was good to hear from you" Neil said as they were about to end the call. "I'm glad you called."

"Me too" she replied. "See you Monday."

"It's a date" he smiled.

He sat a moment longer after the call ended, lost in his thoughts when someone sat down so heavily beside him, he almost dropped his phone.

"What are you doing, you idiot?" Kevin asked actually sounding frustrated. "Jo told me you were out here talking to your fancy woman!"

"Fancy woman? Really?" he laughed.

"Do you deny it?" Kevin continued.

"No I don't!" Neil replied, a little worried his friend had gone mad. "What's going on?"

"I was just thinking you're making a mistake" he said bluntly.

"Me!?" Neil replied incredulously. "Enlighten me then please Dr. Miller? What's so wrong with a single man talking to a single woman he met on a weekend away?"

"But Audrey..." he began.

"But Audrey what" Neil retorted. He wanted to yell but it was not the time or the place. "She's just finished telling me about her grand plan. How she's put Kashal before herself again. There is only so much of that I can take, I'm sorry"

Kevin opened his mouth to reply but Neil didn't give him the chance to form a single word.

"What does she expect from me? To wait for her until she's ready? I've tried more than once to tell her how I feel and I've been shot down every time. I don't expect her to cheat on her husband, that's not the best way to start a relationship. But if she's not willing to have some faith in me, then screw it. I've been unceremoniously dumped in the friend zone and I'm done. I work my ass off in this place, I deserve a life" he ranted before getting up and stalking back inside.

Kevin sat, shocked, trying to absorb what Neil had just said. Until that point he had still held our some hope for his friends, but right now, that was gone.

X

He stormed past Jo in the foyer and took the stairs at a jog. She watched him go assuming the phone call had gone badly. She would find out differently from Kevin later just what had happened.

As he took the corner to the locker room at pace, he collided with her almost knocking her to the ground.

"Jeez Aud, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "You okay?"

"I'm fine" she replied. "You don't look to great though. What's eating you?"

"Nothing" he snapped, immediately regretting it. "I'm sorry" he repeated, his shoulders slumping. "We need to talk some more, I don't think we're done."

"Sure, you free now?" she asked, feeling a little apprehensive.

"Yes, let's go" he said, taking her hand and leading her to the fire escape.

Out in the fresh air, Neil seemed to visibly relax but not sure where to start, he just looked at her. He looked into her eyes, she looked confused with a hint of sadness and he felt a pang of guilt that he was possibly about to make that worse.

"I don't know where to start" Neil began.

"Start at the beginning" Audrey said gently. "What's wrong?"

"I met someone" he started. "In Vegas" he continued, looking to the ground unable to look her in the eye anymore.

"Okay" she replied. "Why has that made you so angry?"

"I don't know!" he exclaimed. "I just felt you should know."

"Thanks, I think" she said with a small smile. "What's her name?"

"Nicola" he replied. "She's from Salinas."

"And she's nice?"

"Seems to be. We don't really know each other. But we're going to meet up Monday to see if there is anything there. I just felt you should know."

"Okay" she said quietly.

"Is it okay though?" he asked.

""Why wouldn't it be? We're just friends" she said.

"You know why" he implored. "This is harder than I thought it would be" he muttered to himself.

"Just say it" she pushed.

"Were you expecting me to wait for you?" he asked quietly.

"Yes" she admitted. "Deep down, I was hoping?"

"For years Aud?"

"I know, it's stupid."

"Yes, it is" he said bluntly and feeling bad as he saw tears brim her eyes. "Look at us, we're a mess" he said running his hand through his hair. "How did we end up like this?"

"I think it was teamwork" she smiled ruefully and he nodded his agreement.

"I shouldn't have pushed you" he said.

"And I shouldn't have let you" she replied. "I'm not good at the whole relationship thing. I've never really had one before Kashal and I didn't know how to deal with this thing we have between us. I've never been cool or popular, nobody has ever wanted me before."

He shook his head in disbelief. "We need to sort this out, we can't carry on like this" Neil continued. "We need to define our relationship and stick to it."

"I agree" she said. "We can't afford to let this get in the way of our work. We're still residents, and personally, I don't want a get a reputation for being difficult to work with."

"You're right, as always" he smiled. "Think we can do this?"

"We've got to" she replied. "Let's give each other some space, work it out and we'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"I am" she said trying to sound confident. "But can I ask one favour?"

"Anything" he replied.

"I don't want any details" she said apprehensively, not sure if this was one request too many. "Unless it gets serious, can we not talk about your dating life?"

"Sure" he smiled sadly. "I can do that."

"Then we'll be fine" she said, turning to face outwards, putting her arms on the railings and leaning slightly to peer over the edge.

"We'll be fine" he repeated. "Shall we go? They're probably wondering where we are?"

"You go ahead, I'll be down in a bit" she answered, not looking at him.

"Aud..." he began.

"I'll catch up with you later" she said cutting him off and with that he turned and headed back downstairs.

Once alone, she let out a big breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. "I blew it" she sighed to herself, letting a tear fall down her cheek.

She stayed a while longer to compose herself and cool down. She didn't want people seeing the super cool and collected Audrey Lim any other way and by the time she walked back into the hospital, she was wearing her mask again.


	24. Chapter 24

Jo heard a low rumble coming up behind her as she crossed the carpark, so she stepped aside in between two cars and waited. She saw a motorcycle pull into a space just further a long from her and frowned as she looked at the figure sat astride it. She was sure she recognized the form and as they dismounted and stood to one size, her mouth fell open.

"Audrey Lim! What on earth is that?" Jo asked as she pulled off her helmet and shook out her hair.

"What does it look like?" Audrey replied flatly with a little smirk.

"It looks like a motorcycle" she said in disbelief.

"You're powers of observation astound me!" Audrey quipped. "And it's not a motorcycle, it's a Ducati. It's different."

"So is this an early midlife crisis?" Jo asked with a smile as they turned and started towards the hospital.

"Kash took the car, so I needed something to get back and forth. I thought I'd treat myself. I think I deserve it" she smiled.

"Oh" came the simple reply. "I didn't think of that" she said. Audrey hadn't spoken to her much about Kashal leaving and Jo didn't want her to shut the conversation down. She felt they should probably have talked about it more, but Audrey didn't do feelings so she didn't push.

"It actually suits you" Jo smiled. "It's unique, just like the rest of you and you definitely deserve it."

"Thanks, I think" Audrey laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Let's grab a coffee before we start, I feel I haven't seen you much over the last couple of weeks."

X

"So what really made you finally go for it?" Jo asked as they sat next to each other watching the comings and goings of the lobby. "You've been browsing brochures almost as long as I've known you but I still can't believe you finally got one."

"One what?" came the voice from behind them, making them jump as their heads turned on a swivel.

Kevin and Neil stood, grinning widely at them, seemingly amused at the fact that they'd managed to startle their friends so effectively.

"Audrey got a bike" Jo blurted out which received a withering stare from her friend.

"A bike?" Neil asked. "What kind of bike?"

"Not a bike" Audrey repeated for the second tine that morning. "A Ducati, it's different."

"It's a Donor Machine" Neil teased as the guys took the two free seats opposite them. "How many patients have we seen injured by those things?"

"Don't be such a drama queen" she retorted making him smile widely. "I'll be fine."

Their relationship over the last few weeks had gone back to the familiar. The gentle teasing had returned and their friends were extremely relieved to see it. The past few months had been a challenge for them all but now, as they headed into their third year together, they were back to being a force to be reckoned with.

The gentle ribbing continued until they were due to start their shift. They walked to the elevator bank as a four and as the doors opened a few floors higher, Jo and Kevin stepped out first. Neil reached forwards and gently put his hand on Audrey's forearm and pressed the hold button to stop the doors from closing.

"Serious Aud" he started. "The thought of you on that thing freaks me out a little. If you ever need a ride, because of the weather or anything, promise you'll call me?"

"I promise" she smiled at him. "Thanks."

X

They joined the others at the main desk and waited patiently. They had been summoned by Dr. Glassman and none of them know what for.

"Good, you're all here" Glassman started. "We're coming to the end if the year so we're going to mix things up a bit in addition to your usual assessments."

They looked at him with some trepidation, they couldn't have guessed what was coming next.

"Here are two cases. You will take this one" he said handing a file to Neil and Kevin. "And you will take this one" passing the other file to Jo and Audrey. "Both are challenging in their own ways but here's the incentive" he said pausing for dramatic effect.

"Whichever team gets the highest patient satisfaction scores when all is done, gets their pick of the surgeries next week."

Both teams grinned at that and looked keen to get going. Glassman smiled to himself as he watched them open their files and chuckled as sense of amusement drained from their faces.

"Good luck" he announced, before turning heel and walking away.

"What have you got? Jo asked, wondering if the boys case was going to have a better chance of success. There was currently not much chance of a score even being submitted for her and Audreys.

"Great case" Neil said, obviously lying through his teeth and trying not to laugh. "Good luck."

"Neil?" Audrey called as he turned to leave. "Fancy making this a little more interesting?"

"What do you propose?" he asked, smiling.

"The usual stake" she said, smiling back.

He held out his hand for her to shake, both of them holding on for a little longer than was necessary.

"Deal" they said in unison before heading off to see their patients.

X

Neil and Kevin attended the bedside of a gentleman in his early thirties presenting with a fractured penis. However, unlike most patients they would see with this issue, he'd waited two years with his penis bent at almost a 90-degree angle.

Neither of them could quite believe what they were seeing on examination but the patient had been convinced to come in by his wife as they were looking to conceive and thought the bend might interfere.

"It is highly likely that the current... position, would have an effect on efficiency" Kevin began. "Why did you wait so long to be seen?"

"I Googled the procedure and totally freaked myself out" the patient admitted sheepishly. "I just couldn't." His wife placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him at that point.

"I understood for a while" she continued. "But it's causing other issues now and we need it sorted."

"Of course" Neil agreed. "We'll do the best we can" before they both exited the room to update the patient file.

During surgery, they exposed the fracture and began to make repairs using suturing techniques. After the length of time that had passed, it was impossible to repair it fully but they were able to straighten it significantly and once they were finished, they wrapped in a bandage and sent him off to recovery.

X

Audrey and Jo had a case which had come in via the Emergency Room and were equally as perplexed by their patient - another man in his early thirties, accompanied by his wife.

"Patient records show arrival in the ER with his wife simply stating "it's stuck, it's stuck" over and over. When the nurses asked him for more information, he replied 'I put a candle in my... you know...and can't get it out!'

All sorts of things were running through their minds, and they were certainly hoping the candle was a votive or similar and nothing more.

After consulting the X-ray it showed that it was actually a round candle that was still in the glass container! It was one of those standard 3-4inch round candles in containers that most convenience stores sell. The patient had stuck it up there and had no way to retrieve it so he was taken into surgery immediately for a basic procedure to carefully dilate his rectum to remove the object.

X

The four of then sat in the break room after discussing and teasing each other about their days work waiting for an update from Dr. Glassman.

"He felt stupid and embarrassed" Audrey said shaking her head. "I doubt he'll even fill in a patient review. Who wants to relive that?!"

"I'm wondering if ours will complain because it's not dead straight" Kevin laughed. "Honestly, who lives like that for two years!"

"He was married" Jo laughed. "Maybe he doesn't use it much normally!"

With that, Dr. Glassman arrived, reviews in hand. They all sat a little straighter, waiting to hear the results.

"The highest scoring review goes to Dr. Lim and Dr. Walker. Congratulations, you get first dibs next week" he announced to a the shocked audience. "The patient was impressed by your compassion and care whereas your patient..." he turned to Neil and Kevin. "Your patient was disappointed that it wasn't totally straight" he smiled.

"Aw come on!" Kevin exclaimed. "Nobodies is totally straight, the guy is crazy!" And with that, the whole group laughed loudly.

Dr. Glassman took his leave, followed shortly by Kevin and Jo leaving the others behind.

"Pay up" Audrey smiled putting out her hand. "You owe me."

Leaning forward to get his wallet out of his pocket, he stopped and smiled.

"Double or nothing next time?" he suggested raising his eyebrows holding out a folded dollar bill.

"I think I'll quit while I'm ahead" she smiled plucking it from his hand.

"Yeah, yeah" he laughed. "You can't resist a little wager. You'll be back for more" he said getting up and heading back to the floor.

"No doubt" she said to herself, smiling, tucking the bill safely into the pocket of her white coat. 


	25. Chapter 25

"I cannot wait" she heard him say with some gusto as she walked up to the table to join them with her coffee. They weren't technically on s shift together, but they would always try and catch up for a few minutes if they saw each other in passing.

"First weekend off in six weeks, I bet you can't" Kevin smiled at him. "You must be looking forward to seeing..."

They heard a small cough behind them as she cleared her throat in time to stop Kevin finishing his question.

"Adam" Kevin finished. "Seeing Adam at his wedding this weekend?" he finished as Audrey sat down and smiled when she realised the conclusion she had jumped too. Kevin gave her a sympathetic smile and a small shake of his head.

"Ah yes, best man duties" Audrey smiled. "Get him to the church on time, remember the rings and give a good toast. Should be a breeze."

"Don't forget, you're meant to sleep with a bridesmaid" Jo teased, winking at him making him laugh out loud.

"Not my style" he said smiled. "But if someone wants to help get me drunk, I'm not going to complain. I've got student loans to pay off you know!" he laughed.

They passed a few more minutes together before Jo stood to head home after what had been quite an intense shift for her. She had dealt with just one patient for almost the entire duration, but it was not the actual patient themselves that caused the stress. Considering the procedure they were in for was relatively simple, the family had been very full on and they had exhausted her. She was glad to be getting out of there today, that's for sure.

Kevin had another couple of hours to go of his overtime shift and he'd had an easier time of it so far. Considering his focus at the start of his residency on plastic surgery for the rich and famous, he had fully embraced the general surgery residency and had learned there was so much more he could use his skills for. He was truly talented, this was evident at even this early stage of his career and they all knew he would go far.

"I can't believe you aren't taking me as your plus one" Kevin teased a little more. "I love a good wedding!"

"Ha, no plus one for me this time" he smiled a little ruefully. "It's all too complicated" he said glancing briefly at Audrey.

"Have the best weekend" he said to Neil, clapping him on the shoulder as he got up to go back to the floor. "I'll be living it vicariously through social media so make it a good one please" he teased.

"I'll do my best" he laughed.

Then it was just the two of them left. Neil finishing up his lunch and Audrey still with a pretty full cup of coffee.

"I forgot you were away this weekend" she said trying to sound casual. She was rather pleased that he had just announced he was going stag and not taking Nicola to the wedding and was hoping that it wasn't too obvious. "I was going to catch a movie and was going to see if you wanted to come along" she smiled.

"Sorry" he smiled giving a little shrug. "I would have liked that though. Thank you" he said.

"At least I can be more flexible with the time going by myself. Not like it matters if I'm running late then does it?!"

"True" he agreed giving her little laugh at her curious logic. "Thor right?" he asked.

"So you do listen to me?" Audrey said.

"Every word" Neil smiled, before scooping up the last forkful of his lunch and moving to clear his things.

As they headed back towards the elevators, they saw Jo making a dash for the door. She must have been side-lined by the family again considering she'd left the table a good fifteen minutes earlier. They called goodbye across the foyer and watched her leave in rush.

X

After a busy few hours, Neil caught up with Kevin again briefly before he headed home and it seemed he wasn't done fishing for wedding details.

"I've got to ask the question we all want to know' he started as he and Neil stood shoulder to shoulder at the main desk, filling in paperwork.

"And what's that?" Neil replied, never sure with Kevin what was coming next.

"Why aren't you taking your new piece of fluff to the wedding?"

Neil laughed and shook his head. "Nicola, her name is Nicola."

"Fine, why aren't you taking 'Nicola' to the wedding?" he said using air quotes, making Neil roll his eyes in response.

"It's complicated" he replied flatly.

"Yes, you said" Kevin pushed. "And you know I love complicated, so spill."

"I'll be staying with my folks most of the weekend, they are a bit strict on that sort of thing. You remember my good catholic upbringing, yes?" he replied, hoping that being that blunt would put him off. No such luck.

"You could have got a hotel?"

"For the whole weekend? I'm not made of money!"

"She'd split it, surely. For a weekend with you, I'm sure she would" Kevin winked.

"Okay, okay, enough" Neil said, admitting defeat. "Truth is, I've seen her twice, briefly, since Vegas. Turns out, she has a kid so it's hard to get together and she couldn't just take off for a whole weekend without more notice."

"Briefly isn't something you should boast about Neil" Kevin admonished with a smile, giving him a nudge in the ribs. "Serious though, you asked her?"

"No, I used common sense" he replied. "And I didn't ask" he confirmed after a pause.

Kevin just smiled to himself knowingly while Neil continued to scrawl in the chart on the desk in front.

"You want to take Audrey don't you?" Kevin said in a stage whisper.

Neil didn't reply, he just shook his head and carried in making notes. Their friends were having trouble coming to terms with the fact the he and Audrey were working well as friends. It so happened that Kevin was right and he really did want to take Audrey, but how would that look?

Drifting off into his own thoughts, he left Kevin talking to himself. He would have jumped at the chance to see that movie with Audrey any other weekend, it was just bad timing.

"Got to go" he said suddenly to Kevin, stopping his chatter in his tracks. "Sorry."

Kevin looked around to see if he had been called or paged but nothing seemed untoward so he just continued with his paperwork.

The rest of Neils shift flew by with this idea floating around in his head. He left the hospital bang on time and set out to put his plan in place.

X

Audrey finished her shift a few hours later and dragged her feet back to the locker room to change. Maybe she would give the movie a miss tonight, she had all weekend after all and was a little worried right now, that she would fall asleep during it.

Stretching the knots from her neck and shoulders, she went to open her locker to find the lock already hanging loose, she must have forgotten to close it in a rush earlier. She wasn't too worried as there was absolutely nothing in there that was worth stealing in her opinion.

After throwing her shoes into the bottom, she unhooked her ID and went place it on the shelf when her fingers felt something that shouldn't be there. Pulling it a small envelope she smiled as she recognised Neil's writing on the front.

'We're both off rota, I checked' he wrote in his familiar scrawl.

Looking inside she found a pair of tickets, looking close she saw they were to a morning showing of Thor that coming Tuesday. She smiled to herself as she tucked them safely away again. She was going to look forward to Tuesday, she thought.


	26. Chapter 26

The weekend of the wedding passed in a blur for Neil and as expected, he was a model best man, everything went like clockwork. He gave a gracious toast at the rehearsal dinner, recalling some of the more silly things they'd got up to as a group of friends but balancing it perfectly with tales of how he'd seen the love grow between Adam and Lily over the years.

They ate, drank and danced the weekend away and as Neil headed back to San Jose on the Sunday afternoon, he felt tired but happy and refreshed.

In between wedding duties, he had spent some time with his folks and was currently driving down the 101 with freshly made Empanadas and Miguelitos in the passenger foot well which he had to share with his friends... Mom's instructions.

He smiled to himself as he recalled his Mom's constant questioning about why he hadn't found himself a good woman yet. Apparently, training to be a surgeon was not enough of an excuse to let his love life suffer!  
He hadn't mentioned Jessica, Nicola or Audrey once, that was ammunition his Mom did not need!

His father was a little more level headed and was just happy that he was happy, whatever he was doing. He could relate more to that way of thinking. He and his dad were very similar.

He had a shift at the hospital tomorrow to get through, and Tuesday morning he and Audrey were off to the movies. She'd sent a simple text message after finding the tickets saying 'thanks, see you next week' which made him smile more than he should have. They would see each other at the hospital tomorrow for a short while so they could confirm plans.

Stopping at the market on the way home for groceries, he found himself wandering the aisles with a cart thinking about Audrey. He'd see something on the shelf that she'd like and had to stop himself throwing it into the basket.

'Bit stalker like' he smiled to himself as he stocked up and headed home for the evening.

X

He could have sworn that it was Monday almost as soon as he'd closed his eyes Sunday night. His alarm pierced a rather pleasant dream and he woke, stretching, yawning and desperate for coffee.

Eventually ready to leave, he grabbed the container of his Mom's culinary delights and headed to the car with his coffee to go. He had been a little slow off the mark this morning and was he was playing catch up. He'd need to haul ass if he wasn't going to be late today.

Of all the days to struggle to find a parking space, it had to be today. He jogged into the building, dropped the box off in the break room and carried on to the locker room as fast as possible without actually running.

"Cutting it fine aren't we?!" he heard as he passed the nurses station on the surgery ward. Kevin just laughed as he kept going.

Changing into his surgical scrubs and coat he sidled into place in the group with seconds to go before rounds started, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Dr Glassman.

"Good weekend Dr Melendez?" he asked in an obviously rhetorical manner.

"Yes Sir" he replied, not going into detail.

"Are you ready to start?" Glassman asked, with a mock glare.

"Yes Sir" Neil replied again.

"Let's review our first patient" Glassman said, gesturing for the residents to move ahead. "Dr Melendez, a moment please?"

Neil hung back, feeling a little nervous. He had never been late before, and he wasn't today if you looked at it technically.

"Dr Melendez" Glassman began formally. "I understand you visited with family this weekend?"

"Yes Sir, I saw my parents this weekend" he replied.

"Now I understand that you don't get much vacation time as a resident, but this is the second whole weekend you've had off so far this year." He held up his hand as Neil opened his mouth to interject. "One thing I would like to know is..." he paused for dramatic effect. "Is if your Mom put almonds into the miguelitos. I'm allergic" he smiled watching the look of relief pass over Neil's face.

"No Sir" he replied shaking his head and letting out a long breath. "No almonds" he smiled.

"Great" he replied as he turned to walk away. "Oh, and Dr Melendez. Don't be late again."

"Yes Sir" Neil replied, rushing after them to catch up.

X

He caught up with Audrey a few hours later as she was heading home. She had her jacket on ready to go and he was heading into the OR but they needed to make plans for the morning.

"I hear the Golden Boy had a dressing down this morning" she teased getting a shake of the head in response.

"Yeah, yeah" he joked. "We all know who the favourite is! I've got to run, Aud. Meet you there tomorrow?"

"Don't you want a ride? Save you driving after a long shift?"

"You won't catch me on that donor machine, thank you very much! I'll give that a hard pass" he smiled at the look of mock offense she gave him.

"Sure thing, see you there" she replied with a smile.

"It's a date" he blurted, looking horrified the moment the words left his lips. "Not a date. I mean, you know what I mean" he blundered.

"I know" she smiled softly, patting his shoulder as she walked away. "See you in the morning."

X

Neil's shift continued into the night and he eventually arrived home around midnight to crash into his bed for some well earned sleep.

Walking with a start a couple of hours later, he sat up thinking he'd slept through but when his eyes focused on the clock next to the bed, he sighed with relief when he saw it was just 2am. Setting his alarm he rolled over, pulled up the covers and went back to sleep.

What felt like just minutes later, he groaned as his alarm disturbed his sleep. He had been dreaming about taking Audrey up on her offer of a ride. He'd had his arms wrapped tight around her as she guided the bike flawlessly around the corners of some imaginary scenic route.

He lay there for a few more minutes smiling to himself, eventually dragging his weary body out of bed, to the kitchen to set the coffee to go, and back into the shower.

Feeling refreshed, and a bit more awake he pulled on his pants, a round neck t-shirt and poured himself a large coffee. He closed his eyes as the hot liquid warmed him from the inside and he felt the caffeine starting to take hold.

'Right, let's go' he said to himself, grabbing his car keys and heading out.

X

He waited.

The parking lot was deserted when he arrived so he sat in his car and finished his coffee and closed his eyes for just a moment.

He was startled awake by a gently tap on his window and he looked up into Audreys amused face. She still sat astride her bike and gestured for him to roll down his window.

"Can I leave this in your car please?" she asked holding up her helmet.

"Good morning to you, too" he smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Lovely day isn't it!"

"Sure, morning" she replied. "Come on, we're going to miss the start" she said trying to hurry him up.

They walked to the theatre in step and were a little surprised to not see a single soul in line for the concessions. Audrey grabbed a popcorn, after a discussion on how that wasn't actually breakfast and they went to find their seats. With just a smattering of other seats taken, they pretty much had their pick on where to sit. Right in the centre of course, best sound and best view.

The trailers started and Audrey turned as she heard a rustle from Neil's seat.

"Now that's breakfast" he whispered presenting her with a fresh bear claw from a bag he'd smuggled in. The smile she gave him was wonderful, and he briefly considered bringing her a fresh pastry every day just to see it over again.

He glanced over at her a few times during the movie and just like the last time, she was enthralled. She broke briefly from her trance to take as handful of popcorn and caught him watching her instead of the movie. She leaned towards him and beckoned him closer.

"It's good you're still awake this time" she whispered in his ear, making him shiver. "But the movie is that way" she pointed, smiling.

He gave a bashful smile in response and felt like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. He didn't stop sneaking glances, but was sure not to get caught again!

The movie finished, they picked up their trash and headed back out into the parking lot, squinting into the sunshine. They strolled back to their vehicles, hands brushing every few steps but not feeling like they had to jump apart. This was new.

She collected her helmet from the trunk and sat astride the Ducati, getting ready to go.

"Thank you for this" she smiled at him. "It was good to have company."

"No problem, any time" Neil smiled. "So, Captain America next?" he blurted out, just as she was about to put her helmet on.

"It's a date" she smiled, echoing his words from the previous day. "I'll look forward to it" she said, sliding her helmet on and starting the engine. She raised her hand to bid him farewell and he smiled to himself as he watched her drive away.

He caught his reflection in his window as he turned to open his door and was a little surprised at the grin on his face. He had enjoyed himself, despite the fact that they had barely spoken the whole time and was already looking forward to doing it again in July.


	27. Chapter 27

**I'm sorry this took a while to update!**

The end of their second year was approaching at the speed of light and the eighty hour weeks were taking a heavy toll on their personal lives. None of the group were disappointed to hear that Neil's dalliance with Nicola had fizzled out. After the first few hook ups, the excitement wore thin when they could never find time to see each other and he didn't seem particularly bothered by it.

Sat in the break room together before the start of shift, the conversation shifted to Audrey and her need to find somewhere new to live for the coming year.

After Kashal left part way through their rental agreement, he had continued to pay his share of the bills. In typical fashion, spending all her focused on the hospital had left her little time to find something before this lease ran out.

"You can't take a place without looking at it, Aud" Jo said sounding horrified after hearing Audreys intentions.

"When have I got time to go looking" she replied with a sigh. "Anything decent is getting snapped up before I can even get an appointment" she said feeling frustration with the whole situation.

"You can't be serious about this one" Kevin said jabbing his finger at the listing she was looking at. "It's not safe around there at night. The thought of you living there by yourself is freaking me out a bit."

"You don't need to be so dramatic" she smiled at him. "In an ideal world, I'd go and look at a few, take a friend for second opinion and talk it over but I'm not sure I have that luxury."

"You've got friends" Neil teased, nudging her side. "You shouldn't think like that!"

"Shut up" she snapped back with a smile.

The conversation came to a natural when they were called to the Emergency Room. Two of them stood to leave and the others headed out to check on other patients.

X

Neil and Audrey arrived in the ER to a patient who thankfully had a sense of humour when his fishing trip went wrong. His fish hook didn't grab any fish in Los Gatos Creek County Park this particular day but caught onto a big piece of his scalp. He had come in, under his own steam, with a big fish hook lodged in the right side of his head.

They were both very aware of how much the scalp can bleed, but for the time being, the hook was controlling that so they had time to prepare the patient for the procedure.

"Mr Edwards, we're obviously going to have to remove the object" smiled Neil.

"Yes please, Dr Melendez" he smiled back. "Not sure I could get a hat to fit this old bean otherwise!"

"One we start the extraction, there could be quite a bit of blood but please don't be alarmed. It's just because of the high amount of blood vessels around the site" Audrey said as they draped the area.

"Not a problem Dr Lim, you two just go about your business, I'm a fisherman, I'm very patient" he chuckled, making them both smile.

Removing the fish hook came with its own challenges due to its shape. It had a circular curve with a barb and gap, which causes them to do real damage on what should be fish. Fishermen will just rip them out after they capture fish, but they obviously couldn't just rip it out of his scalp.

"I'll come with you if you want?" Neil asked Audrey over the top of Mr. Edwards head as they waited for the local anaesthetic to take effect.

"Where?" She asked.

"To look at some places" he said, testing the area with a sharp point. He nodded at Audrey when the patient didn't flinch. They were ready.

"You wouldn't mind?" she asked.

"Course not" he smiled. "All you had to do was ask. Check out the rota and book some stuff for when we're both off, okay?"

"Thanks Neil" she replied smiling back. "Let's sort out Mr. Edwards here so he can get back to his fish."

They coached the patient through the process so he could relax as much as possible. After numbing the area, they initially had to widen the incision around the entry of the fish hook to be able to rotate and wiggle it out. Using a little epinephrine, the bleeding after extraction was minimal and Neil was called away leaving Audrey to suture the would and dress it.

"He's sweet on you, you know?" Mr Edwards said with a little smile.

Audrey just smiled, not committing to a response.

"Don't leave it too long" he continued. "The good ones always get hooked, and that saying 'plenty more fish in the sea'... not quite true."

"Thanks Mr Edwards" she replied. "I'll try to remember that" she said looking up to see the nurse almost upon them. "Thank you, you were a model patient" she smiled as she said her goodbye.

X

A few days later, Neil sat at the kerb, leaning against the hood of his car waiting for Audrey. He had considered knocking the door but thought better of it and dropped her a text to say he was outside and a couple of minutes later she appeared.

"Thanks again for doing this" she said as she got into the passenger seat.

"Not a problem" he replied with a smile closing her door before heading around to his side with a little jog.

Following Audrey's meticulous directions, they arrived at the first place ten minutes later. It was an individual property on a small complex and as they walked up towards the entrance, she began to check off a list she held in her head. Decent street parking and obvious security were high on the list.

"Looks like a popular choice" Neil said as they stepped inside and saw a number of people milling around.

"Good morning!" the realtor exclaimed, sounding very enthusiastic. "Can I give you a plan? Feel free to look around and come back with any questions!"

"Thanks" Neil smiled taking the papers on offer. "We will."

They took their time, it was already vacant so Audrey thoroughly checked all the closet space and cupboards. She didn't actually have enough stuff to fill this place but it seemed to be the right thing to do.

"What do you think?" she asked Neil who was stood looking out of the bedroom window.

"It's a nice place" he replied, turning to smile at her. "Looks safe, clean and a bit closer to work. All good things."

"I'll get an application" she said.

"But Aud" he started, putting his hand on her arm to call her back. "Don't sign anything yet, we should still look at the others."

"Sure" she smiled at him.

"This place is perfect for young couples" the realtor said with gusto as they headed to the door. "I'll look forward to your application"

"Oh, we're not..." Audrey started before Neil took her hand in his.

"Thank you!" Neil interrupted reaching out to shake his hand.

As they left the complex, Audrey shook her hand free. "What are you doing?" she scolded.

"Sorry, those things are like job interviews. You've got to give them what they want and if that's a young, upcoming couple, you need to go for it" he explained.

"Bit of warning would have been nice" she sighed. "Maybe I wouldn't have looked so much like a startled deer then" she smiled softly, knowing he was right.

Three listings later, they were at their final stop for the day. They approached the front door which was propped ajar by an old plant pot.

"Hello?" Neil called.

"Come on in" the voice answered.

They followed it through to quite a dark sitting area where they found the source of the voice. A man in his forties was stood by a side table with a stack of printed applications next to him.

"I'm Steven" he said shaking Neil's hand quickly. "Nice to meet you" he said looking at Audrey with a faraway smile and holding on to her hand a little more than was necessary.

Feeling instantly uncomfortable, she reached over and took Neil's hand, intertwining their fingers. It was a move that made Neil smile and Steven frown a little.

They followed him around while he pointed out all the 'features' of the property, nodding and making appreciative noises where it seemed appropriate.

"What's in here?" Audrey asked as she tried a closet door finding it locked.

"Oh, that's just the stairs up to the rest of the house" Steven replied.

"And who lives in the rest of the house?" Neil asked casually.

"That'd be me" Steven confirmed. "So will you be filling in an application as joint tenants?" he asked, holding out a form, seemingly oblivious that they were uncomfortable.

"Ummmm..." Audrey started.

"We would Steven, but I'm not sure there is quite enough space for us" Neil piped up. "Thanks for showing us around" he smiled as they headed for the door.

"Thanks for stopping by!" he called after them.

Only when they reached the kerb, did they notice that they were still holding hands, looked down and smiled at the ridiculous situation.

"Why did you even book that place?" Neil asked incredulously.

"He just said private rental. He didn't put his creepy resume on there!" she laughed, finally letting go of his hand. "I'm so glad you came."

"So am I!" Neil exclaimed. "He'd have locked you in a closet, no doubt."

"Seriously, thank you Neil" Audrey said with a smile. "I'm glad you came" leaning forward and pecking him on the cheek before dropping into the passenger seat.

'So am I' he thought to himself as he walked around to drive her home.


	28. Chapter 28

It was days later before they all sat down together again and Audrey was pleased to announce that she had applied for two of the listings they'd seen. They had both accepted her, and now she was waiting for references and a date for moving.

"Now I've just got to figure out how to move my stuff on the back of the Ducati" she joked as they finished laughing at the story of Steven and the creepiest apartment ever. They obviously left out the hand holding detail, that was fuel that particular fire didn't need.

"You can store some stuff at mine" Kevin offered. "Pack up the stuff you don't need straight away, then sort it as you move in. It'll be a good way to cleanse. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, ditch all of Kashals old crap he left behind" Jo laughed. "That's what he means!"

"I'm just more polite about it" Kevin retorted.

"First time for everything" Neil added getting a mock glare as his response.

"We'll help you move, won't we boys" Jo offered, looking between them.

"Of course" they replied simultaneously.

"Just say when" Kevin continued. "We'll figure something out."

"Thanks" Audrey smiled. "You're all too good to me. It'll be worth it, I'll pay you all in pizza and beer."

X

After three weeks of long hours, the friends met at Audreys old apartment for what Jo had titled 'Moving On Day'.

She had hired a U-Haul which would fit her furniture, clothes and household items, but there were some fragile and sentimental items which were to be loaded into Neil's car for safety.

They shared a breakfast of takeaway coffees and accompanying pastries which had been supplied by Neil and spent most of the time teasing Kevin about his choice of scruffy clothing.

What he saw as work clothes was pretty much what Neil wore on a daily basis and Neil showed up in well worn jeans and a paint splattered t-shirt that Kevin wouldn't be seen dead in.

"I think we can tell which of them is more used to manual labour" Jo teased as they laughed at Neil trying to direct Kevin while they manoeuvred a table into the van. "God help him when it comes time for the sofa and bed" she laughed.

The mention of Neil and her bed in the same sentence caused her heart to skip a beat before she scolded herself. 'Stop acting like a silly little girl' she thought. 'We're done with all that' she tried to scolded herself.

"Aud" she heard, as Jo's voice broke through into her thoughts. "Where do you want this?" she asked, gesturing towards a box filled with bits from the kitchen.

"What is it? Is that the coffee machine?" she asked, getting a nod from Jo. "Precious cargo there, we'll need it as soon as we get to the new place. Neil's car please" she laughed.

"Sure thing" Jo replied heading out of the door.

Passing Kevin on the stairs, they exchanged a smile as Jo gave him a look up and down.

"I don't think I've ever seen you break a sweat Miller" she laughed. "You look... shiny!"

"Oh hush, woman" he replied with a smile. "Not everyone looks like as hot as Neil after a morning of slave labour" he joked.

"Come on you two" Neil called as he started up the stairs. "This stuff isn't going to move itself!"

"Yeah, yeah, slave driver" Jo said. "We'll be up in a sec. Come open the trunk for me Kev" she demanded.

"Aye aye Captain!" Kevin replied with a sloppy salute. "Lead the way!"

X

"So want to tell me why you just made me do a totally unnecessary trip back downstairs?" Kevin asked accusingly. "Ooohhh, this box is so heavy I can't possibly manage myself" he squawked in a high pitched voice whilst fanning his face with his hands.

"Is that meant to be me" Jo asked straight faced.

"It's just like you" Kevin replied. "Why are you acting all feeble? We all know you're stronger than me!"

She gave a sly smile and chuckled to herself.

"Because the next thing to pack up is the bed and the linen. Maybe spending someone together in Audrey's bedroom will be good for them" she smiled.

"You're deluded woman" Kevin laughed. "You think we'll go back up there and find them rolling around in bed instead of packing it up?" he laughed.

"I can dream" Jo laughed. "Now open the trunk. This thing is actually a bit heavy!"

X

"What's next?" Neil asked coming to stand by Audrey in the empty kitchen. He hadn't been inside her apartment at all in the last couple of years despite the number of times he'd dropped her home.

"Bed" she said quite simply before feeling a little awkward at his cheeky smile, she started to backtrack. "I mean, the bedroom, the linens and the bed itself" she rambled.

"Sure" Neil replied simply. "Come on, let's get this done" he smiled.

They stood on opposite sides of the bed, folding sheets and stuffing them into boxes with the comforter squashed on top.

"You feeling okay? " Neil asked. "Leaving this place?"

"Yeah, it's fine" she said sounding a little flat. "Wasn't in the grand plan but turns out, you can't plan everything."

"Fresh start is good though, right?"

"Fresh start" she repeated quietly.

"Let's get this last bit done and you can get the pizza in" he smiled softly. "Come on."

X

Hours later, the van and the car were empty again and the four friends were lounging in Audrey's new sitting room after polishing off a couple of large, loaded pizzas.

The beers had been flowing for all except Neil who was driving back to his place later despite Jo's loud objections and frequent suggestions that he should get a cab.

"I'm heading out early to see Gabi in the morning before work so I'll stick with this one, thanks" he argued eventually which stopped Jo pushing. He didn't often talk about his sister so when she did come up, they know there was no further discussion to be had and Jo backed off.

"Need anything else" Kevin asked as they were about to leave. "I mean, Neil will have to get it after he's driven us home... but, anything else you need?" he laughed.

"No, thank you" she replied with a smile. "I've got enough here to keep me busy for a while."

They headed down the steps and into the car without to much noise after Audrey warned them not to bother her new neighbour's on her first night. She closed the door and turned to the mountain of boxes that stood around the main living space.

'These can wait until tomorrow' she thought to herself. 'Time to test the new shower.'

Towelling her hair afterwards, dressed in clean jogging pants and a baggy t-shirt, she startled as she heard a knock at the door.

"Two secs" she called, doing a quick look around before heading to the door. She wasn't expecting anyone. Nobody actually had her address yet.

Looking through the spy hole, she smiled.

"Hi" she said opening the door to see Neil. "You forget something?"

"Nope, here" he said producing a small tray greenery from behind his back. "Happy New Home" he smiled offering his gift.

"Thank you" she replied graciously. "I'm not the good with plants but I'll do my best" she laughed.

"I noticed. I saw the pot of twigs you we're 'growing' while we were packing up" he said using air quotes. "These are low maintenance, don't worry. Water them every few weeks" he smiled.

"I'll do my best. No promises though" she laughed. 'Errr, do you want to come in?" she asked awkwardly, hoping he'd say no as she was feeling a little under dressed.

"No thanks" he smiled softly. "I would, but I really do have to get out early to see Gabi. Back in the hospital by four and won't get another chance until next week. Maybe next time?" he suggested.

"Next time" she repeated. "Goodnight Neil."

"Goodnight Audrey" he smiled before turning to head back down the stairs.

She stood and watched as he pulled away from the kerb. Closing the door and leaning her back against it for a few moments she smiled.

"Fresh start" she said to herself as she moved to start unpacking. 


	29. Chapter 29

**Sorry it's late, school is out for the summer so lots going on! Thanks for your patience :-)**

X

There was a fresh start coming for more than just Audrey in the weeks that followed. The six new surgical residents for that year had finished their inductions and had already started making waves in more ways than one.

This intake seemed to be like a group of over excited puppies, bounding around, making mistakes and generally causing chaos until Dr Glassman eventually had enough. There were reprimands for the whole team and that appeared to be the catalyst that would prompt the change the dynamic of their small group forever.

Leaving the hospital that evening, Jo saw one of the first years sat on the bench outside, shoulders slumped and his head in his hands. He was by himself and she felt sorry for him. She thought back to her first few weeks as a resident and smiled as she recalled how the six of them were solid as a rock pretty much from the start. None of them would have found themselves sat outside alone, so she walked up and sat herself down.

She didn't say anything, but eventually, he looked up and gave a small smile.

"Hi" he said quietly. "Are you okay?"

"Me?" Jo replied. "I'm good. I came to see if you were okay?"

"I'll be fine" he smiled. "That thing... thing with Glassman today. I've never... never been in trouble before" he stuttered.

"You'll be fine" Jo assured him. "Just keep yourself in his good books, get your head down and get the job done and you'll be fine" she said with a smile.

"Thanks Dr Walker" he smiled.

"Jo" she confirmed. "Any time. Residency is a tough time, it's hard work and you'll need good support to get you through it. Don't be afraid to ask for help."

X

A few days later walking through the lobby with Audrey, Jo was stopped by Dr James, the new resident she had talked to on the bench outside.

"Do you think I can get you a coffee?" he asked sounding hopeful. "Just to say thanks for the other day."

"Erm, I was just... I'm just" she started gesturing towards Audrey.

"I need to catch up with Neil about Thursday. Come find me later" Audrey said, seemingly oblivious to what she was doing wrong.

"Do you want to sit?" he asked after he'd paid for their drinks.

She was about to decline, but changed her mind as she looked into his eyes. He looked nervous, but there was a nice twinkle behind them that she liked the look of.

"Sure" she smiled. "I'd like that. One condition though, no hospital talk?"

"Deal" he smiled. "I guess I should introduce myself properly" he said, holding out his hand. "Matthew James, Matt."

"Nice to meet you, Matt" she smiled.

They talked for a good fifteen minutes while they drank their coffees with no mention of hospitals, med school or cases and it was like a tonic for both of them.

"Thanks for the coffee" she said as they got up to head back to the surgical floor.

"Any time" he smiled as he picked up her cup and took it to the trash.

As they walked towards the elevator back, Jo was called to the Emergency Room so they bid each other goodbye and went their separate directions, both of them with a smile on their faces.

X

"How was your date?" Audrey teased as she arrived in the ER to wait for the incoming bus. There had been an accident outside a school where a car had run a stop sign and seriously injured a crossing guard.

"Date?" Kevin repeated. "What's this?"

"Coffee with Dr James, that's all" Jo said shooting Audrey a glare while she grinned back. "He's a nice guy having a tough time."

"He's quite cute too" Kevin teased. "That can't hurt!"

Saved by the sirens, the patient was wheeled in with an EMT sat on the gurney applying serious pressure on one of the patients legs. As Dr Glassman lifted the packaging surrounding the wound, a spray of blood escaped, catching Kevin as he stood nearby while the rest of them held in their laughter.

Audrey was chosen to assist on what could possible be a lower leg amputation and rushed out of the ER as soon as an operating theatre was confirmed.

The other two headed back towards the locker rooms for Kevin to change his shirt, running into Neil on the way.

"I'd heard the rumour" he laughed. "But seeing it for myself it's more than I could have hoped for!"

"Shut it, Melendez" Kevin snapped with a smirk. "This was one of my best shirts!'

"I'm sure it'll be fine" Jo added. "Just dab it a bit here and it'll be like new" she laughed.

"Oh hush" Kevin moaned. "Why don't you tell Neil all about your date while I change" he said with a smile as he opened the door, knowing full well that was the spark that would light a roaring flame of teasing from Neil.

After giving him a scowl, she turned to face Neil expecting a barrage. Instead, he just smiled at her which threw her a little of balance.

"A date?" he asked. "First one since we started here, right?"

"Just a coffee in the lobby" she replied. "Hardly first date material."

"Think there'll be a second?"

She stopped and thought before answering.

"Maybe" she replied cryptically.

"Why not?" Neil asked. "Is he nice?"

"Seems to be. But wouldn't it be complicated, working together?"

"You're asking the wrong person, I'm afraid" he replied ruefully. "Do you really want advice on your love life from me? Surely it's less complicated to try something now than it would be if you get a fellowship and he's still a resident? You'd be his superior, would they even allow it?"

"This from a guy whose pretending to be 'just friends' with someone he cares about, just so you can spend time with her?"

"Pretty much" he smiled.

"She's still soft on you, you know?"

"Let's not go there right now" he said. "We're good as we are, I'm grateful for what we've got."

"You do realise you're dating, right?" she asked him with a nudge. "Well as much as a third year resident has time to date!"

He looked at her innocently.

"You're telling me that your not going to the movies again this week?"

"Maybe" he smiled.

"Come on, I'm quite certain you wouldn't be going to see the new Transformers if it wasn't for Audrey. It's not your thing."

"Maybe my thing, is whatever her thing is" he whispered with a small smile. "Take a chance on Dr James, you'll regret it if you don't" he said. "Trust me."

With that, Kevin reappeared and Neil's page sounded.

"Gotta go" he smiled. "Think about it" he said cryptically before he walked off towards the ER.


	30. Chapter 30

**The idea from themintjournal is cracking, I'm working in that one. Happy to field other suggestions via pm if anyone has any... will prevent spoilers for others **

Their trip to the movies was arranged for the Thursday evening. They were going straight from work on the rare occasion that their shifts were perfectly in sync for the next few days.

He'd happily been going along to watch the Marvel movies as they were coming out and he was happy in the knowledge that there were many more to come. This one was a throwback back to their first trip and the thought of it made him smile more than usual.

"Looking forward to tonight?" Audrey asked as they picked up a quick coffee from the lobby in the middle of a hectic day.

The patient they had admitted via the ER a few days earlier had so far undergone almost twenty hours of surgery so far in an attempt to save his leg. Audrey had been in on each one of them so far and it was finally confirmed that today would be the sad day that the leg would be removed above the knee.

"I'll be looking forward to the distraction" she continued before he could answer. "I really feel for this guy. Just minding his business helping other people and now his life has changed forever" she said with a sigh.

"They'll do the best they can" he said softly, trying to reassure her. "You always do."

"I know" she replied. "But I feel attached to this one. Not sure why."

"Don't tell me that rough, tough Audrey Lim is nervous?"

"Maybe?" she replied. "I haven't assisted on an amputation before. It's so precise, so important to get things perfect. That's more your style than mine."

"You'll be fine" he reassured her. "It'll be tough for sure. But you'll do tougher things over the next few years and you'll smash them out of the park like you always do."

She smiled.

"Best get this done then" she said draining her cup. "I'll see you later, do you want a ride?" she asked.

"Did you come in on the bike?"

"I did?"

"I think I'll pass thanks. You'll never get me on that thing" he laughed. "Knock 'em dead Aud."

X

Later was a long time coming and by the time they were ready to leave, Audrey felt totally washed out. The surgery had gone on longer than expected but she was very happy to see that he had waited. He was sat on a bench on the raised walkway at the rear entrance to the hospital scrolling through his phone.

"Hey" he said getting to his feet as she approached. "You ready, or do you want to take a rain check?"

"I'm ready" she smiled. "Think I could get a ride with you though?" she asked. "I'm exhausted after that epic procedure and with the rain, I'm just thinking a lift might be best."

"No need to explain, any time. Let's go" he smiled.

They drove to the movie theatre in silence, Audrey with her head against the seat back with her eyes closed. Her glanced over at her now and again, but she hardly moved during the entire drive, he wasn't totally sure she was awake.

They had driven to a theatre slightly further away than normal to try and avoid the crowds normally associated with an evening showing. It was fine that Kevin and Jo knew about their little jaunts, but they weren't keen to become part of the hospital rumour mill and didn't really want to run into anyone they might know.

As he turned into the parking lot, she opened her eyes, giving them a rub. They were relieved to see lots of empty spaces, it was not going to be packed out tonight, just as they liked it. They had still pre- booked tickets just in case but it looked like they would have their choice of seats.

With their snacks in hand, Neil waited patiently while Audrey paid a visit to the bathroom. This was also a ritual, she would never get a drink to take into the showing for the fear if having to miss some of the movie taking a trip to the bathroom later on. One of her many quirks.

"Dr Melendez?" he heard, distracting him from watching the trailers showing on a small screen on the wall. He turned to see one of the RNs from the surgical ward holding the hand of a young boy.

"Hi" he smiled.

"You're looking a bit lost" she smiled back. "This place is a bit far from home for you isn't it?" she asked innocently.

"It is, but it's nice and quiet" he replied. 'No queues" he smiled, gesturing to the empty concession counter. "What are you here to see?"

"We've been to see Cars 2" the child replied. "I like Lightening McQueen!"

"Is it good?" Neil asked and the child nodded enthusiastically. "Don't tell me the end" he smiled, "I might go see that next."

The child gave him a big smile.

"Ready?" Audrey announced, almost skipping up next to him. "Ah, hi" she said, noticing who he was talking to.

"Dr Lim? Hi? I didn't expect to see you here, I didn't realise you two were..."

"Friends" Neil interjected.

"Sure, sorry" she replied. "We should get going" she continued after an awkward few seconds. "This one has school in the morning. Enjoy the movie. "

"Sure, thanks" Audrey replied.

"Thanks" he replied.

They walked slowly to the screen in silence and found their seats. The lights weren't all the way out yet, the trailers were yet to begin.

"Was that weird" she whispered eventually.

"Seeing someone we know? A little bit" he said shrugging his shoulders. "We see people from work outside the hospital all the time."

"But not just the two of us. What if she thinks..."

"Does it matter what she thinks?" he interrupted. "We're friends yes?"

She nodded.

"So we can see a movie or two or ten together if we want. Men and women can be friends without having to be sleeping together" he rambled, sounding frustrated. He was a little worried that she'd start to overthink things and put an end to these trips. He certainly did not want that.

Before either of them could say anymore, the lights went right down and the certificate for the main feature flashed up. He was relieved in a way, that the conversation was over for now and she's be so enthralled for the next couple of hours, it wouldn't even cross her mind.

As usual, he watched the movie just enough to understand the story but the rest of the time he watched her. He smiled when she laughed and during one particular explosion, she startled so much, she instinctively grabbed his hand and kept hold of it. They sat with their fingers linked until she took her hand away to get herself some more popcorn but there was no awkwardness, no snatching her hand away when she noticed. It all felt quite natural.

X

The credits rolled and the simultaneously stretched their legs and smiled over at each other.

"Fancy dinner" she asked, surprising him.

"I do" he smiled. "What do you fancy?"

"Great, I'll pick the place. Come on" she said getting to her feet.

They chatted about the movie on the way back to the car, it was a mild evening so they didn't rush. As usual, Neil opened the passenger door for Audrey and as his hand rested on the door frame, her hand brushed his. There was no jumping apart, no awkward looks. Was this the new normal?

"Where we going?" he asked.

"I'll give you directions" she said smiling.

Fifteen minutes later, she had directed him to park up kerbside down the street from a food truck.

"This is dinner?" Neil asked.

"This is the best truck in the city" she stated flatly. "Look at the queue, there wouldn't be one if it was bad."

"Really?"

"Yes, really" she said with a laugh moving to get out of the car. She shut the car door with gusto and he flinched. His old car was fragile!

"Come on, trust me" she said walking ahead.

"Always" he said quietly, so quietly she didn't hear. 


	31. Chapter 31

They sat on rickety garden furniture at the side of the road and ate their tacos quietly. The way the vendor greeted her, she was obviously a regular so he had stood back and let her order for him.

"Told you it was the best in the city didn't I?" she smiled triumphantly as he picked up the last few crumbs from the wrapper in front of him.

"You did" he agreed. "Almost as good as my Mom's but you're never to tell her that, okay" he laughed.

"I'm not sure we're ready to meet each other's parents" she laughed. "But I'll try to remember that."

He just smiled at the thought.

"What do you think of this potential 'thing' with Jo and Dr James then?" Neil asked settling back in his seat. They weren't particularly comfortable but he wasn't in any rush for this evening to be over.

"You want to engage in hospital gossip Dr Melendez" she said pretending to be shocked.

"No" he laughed. "I want to talk about our friend" he smiled. "Think she'll go for it?"

"I don't know" Audrey replied. 'He seems quite competent so far, he's keen to learn" she started while Neil shook his head. "What!? You asked what I thought?"

"What do you think of him as a human being Aud, not as a surgeon' he smiled. "Do you think he'll make our friend happy?"

"You know I'm no good at this stuff" she said shaking her head. "He seems... nice."

"That'll do" Neil smiled. "Maybe we'd should invite him over for a drink or two at the Gala next week. See if he can hold his own?"

"That's a good idea" Audrey agreed. "Let's be honest, if him and Jo start dating, he's going to have to figure out how to fit in with all of us" she smiled.

"You're right" he agreed. "Date one of us, date us all!"

"God help him" she laughed, scrunching up her wrappers and taking the last sips of her soda. Checking her watch, she announced "we should get going, early start tomorrow."

"Sure thing" he nodded getting to his feet with Audrey mirroring his action.

"Sure you don't mind dropping me home?"

"Actually, I think I'll just leave you here. Makes my journey quicker' he said sarcastically, smirking at her.

"Asshat" she replied, thumping his arm.

X

He pulled up at the kerb outside her apartment and turned off the ignition out of habit.

"You need a ride in the morning?" he asked casually as she moved to get out.

"No way!" she replied with vigour. "That's an awful idea."

"Okay" he replied. "Your bike is at the hospital remember?" he continued, looking at her with a frown.

"Of course I remember. But if that nurse sees us arriving together in the morning..."

"Ah right" he replied sounding disappointed. "Is that really the worst thing ever? Since when have you cared what people think of you?" he smiled.

"I don't want people to think we are dating" she continued.

"Brutal" he exclaimed. "Didn't figure that hospital gossip would bother you that much. Sorry."

"The only reason I want to be talked about at work, is because of the awesome surgeon I am" she said looking down. "I know you just let it flow like water off a duck's back. But stuff like that bothers me."

"Aud it's fine, I get it" he assured her. "As long as seeing someone we know tonight doesn't mean that this stops" he said gesturing between them.

"Oh that won't stop, don't worry. If you Google the MCU, we've got years of this to come" she said smiling over at him.

He grinned back like an idiot.

"I'll see you tomorrow Neil, thanks for the ride" she said as she closed the door.

As usual, he watched until she was safely inside with the for closed behind her. Pulling away from the kerb, he found himself smiling to himself for the rest of the drive home.

X

"They are decking the lobby out like a tiki hut!" Kevin exclaimed as he saw them the next day. "Who on earth suggested that?!"

"Morning Kev" Neil smiled. "Something bothering you?" he asked making Audrey give a little snort while trying not to choke on her coffee.

"It looks tacky and awful!" Kevin continued. "They'll be asking you ladies to go in grass skirts next!"

"Good luck with that" Audrey chimed in. "You guys would have to be shirtless in just shorts for that to fly."

"Maybe it isn't the worst idea in the world" Kevin laughed out loud as Jo approached. "Plenty of people I'd like to see around here with no shirt on!"

"And plenty you wouldn't" Jo added, cringing. "What are you talking about?"

"Kevin doesn't like the decor for the Gala" Audrey said as a matter of fact.,

"Oh" she replied. "That's nasty!"

"You'll be seeing your Dr James dressed a little differently tomorrow night" Kevin teased changing the subject. "I wonder if he scrubs up well?"

"He's not 'my' anything" Jo said a little sharply at first before her face softened to a small smile. "But I'll put a bet on him looking cute!"

"Not long to find out" Neil said giving her a nudge. "Speak of the devil" she said nodding behind her.

Jo turned and saw Dr James walking in their direction. She was sure he wouldn't stop while the four of them were together but gave a smile and raised her hand to say hi.

The last time they sat down for coffee, Matt had admitted to her that he'd found them quite intimidating as a group but he appeared to pause a moment, take a deep breath and changed his trajectory. He was walking straight towards her.

"Hello" he said confidently to them receiving a polite chorus back. He turned his attention to Jo. "Hi" he smiled softly. "Got time for a coffee?"

She glanced back over her shoulder and caught Neil's eye. He seemed to give a little nod and announced "We've got to head up for rounds, but Jo here is as free as a bird."

She smiled at Neil and as he passed to go, he stopped as if he was going to kiss her cheek to Audrey and Kevin's confusion. Instead he just leaned in and whispered "Go for it. What's the worst that could happen" before walking off to the elevators followed by the other two.

X

The next evening came around quickly after a full day of cases and they were all propping up one of the garish, tables with their first drinks of the night.

"I need this open bar today, it's been an absolute bitch" Kevin said draining his glass. "Anyone else want another one?"

"Sure."

"Yes please."

"I'll come give you a hand" Audrey smiled leaving Jo and Neil at the table.

"I think Kev might have been right about the decor" Neil stated with a grimace. "I've definately seen better."

"It's funny how quickly there novelty of these things wore off, isn't it?" Jo said. "I'd quite happily be at home with a bottle of wine instead of this."

"Yeah, but then you wouldn't get to dance with your new fancy man" he teased.

"Oh hush" she smiled. "He's actually nice."

"You gonna throw down some moves later then, once the wine has kicked in?"

"I doubt that very much" she laughed. "Not quite my style."

"Well I think your going to have to endure one or two" he smiled. "Incoming!"

She turned just in time to see Matt a couple of steps away with a sweet smile on his face.

"Would you like to dance?"

"I would" she smiled, taking his hand and allowing herself to be led onto the dance floor.

"Something you said" Audrey teased as she arrived back at the table to find Neil stood alone. Kevin had been distracted by a donor who was keen to discuss the use of reconstructive surgery in former warzones so had left Audrey to deliver the drinks.

"She got a better offer" he smiled, nodding towards the dance floor. Audrey smiled along with him at the sight of her friend looking so happy. She looked back to catch Neil watching her and was just about to ask "Neil..."

"Hi Mrs Gunther, lovely to see you" she heard Neil say before she could form her words.

"I want to get my dance in early this year" she smiled kindly. "It's my favourite part of the night. Would you mind?"

"Always a pleasure" he smiled, shrugging his shoulders at Audrey leaving her stood alone.

He wished she'd asked her question, she wished he didn't have to go but duty called.

Maybe later.


	32. Chapter 32

"Something you said" Kevin teased, using her exact phrase from earlier that evening. She was just returning to the table after talking to a couple of the senior staff and donors on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, yeah" she said, brushing the comment aside. "I'm just about ready to get out of here. I've been social enough for one night" she smiled, draining her glass.

"Any sign of the others?" Kevin asked looking around.

"Jo is hanging out with Dr James, introducing him to some people. And Neil is dancing with every lady in the room again" she smiled.

"Every lady except you" Kevin said, nudging her side. She gave a little laugh. "What's so funny?"

"I was actually going to ask him earlier if he wanted to dance but I missed the boat. Mrs Gunther was right off the bat today!" Audrey said with a half smile.

"How is the friends thing going for you two?" Kevin asked, the free bar fuelling his courage.

"It's great, i think" she replied. "I freaked out a little the other night when we saw one of the scrub nurses while we were at the movies. I think he was disappointed. I was going to ask him to dance for a chance, as sort of an apology."

"Without actually having to apologise?"

"Pretty much" she smiled. "Seems you know me quite well."

"When it comes to you and Neil, there is no doubt" Kevin smiled. "Stay for one more drink" he pushed. "He hasn't let you down yet."

"Sure, why not" she smiled.

X

A half hour later, four people were back around the table they'd claimed at the start of the evening.

"Ready to head out" Matt asked Jo who had barely left each others side all night.

"You do realise that this was your first date" Kevin teased them, causing Matt to blush furiously. Starting up a debate in an effort to prolong the evening. Neil had not come back to the table for more than a minute or two and had spent most of the evening with donors and senior staff. That was no different to usual, but to Audrey it seemed more noticeable tonight.

Was he avoiding her in an effort to prevent the rumours she disliked so much? As they discussed the previous night, it was something that only she was bothered about but she didn't know if it was all in her head.

Just as they were draining their glasses ready to head out, he arrived. He didn't say a single word but just held out his hand to Audrey and smiled. They arrived in the middle of the dance floor just as the last notes of the previous song were fading out and the new one began.

"Sorry" he whispered in her ear. "I didn't think this through" he said as the notes of Norah Jones 'Come Away With Me' sounded across the lobby.

"It's okay" she smiled.

"You sure? We can go back if you want?"

"That'll look even worse" she laughed. "And don't tell a soul, but I actually like this song" she smiled.

"Really?" he said sounding surprised. "I would never have put money on that. Definitely not your usual style!"

"Anyone finds out, I'll be coming for you Melendez" she said raising her eyebrows.

"Sure thing" he replied. "I can take it."

Back at the table, the two friends stood watching them working their way around the dancefloor. Both of them startled slightly at the sound of Matts voice.

"What exactly is going on with those two?" he asked. "They seem... close."

"Just friends" Kevin replied using dramatic air quotes to express his disdain for the phrase.

"Really?" Matt replied, sounding shocked.

"Yeah, they reckon" Jo chimed in. "Can't see what's right under their noses and have spent the last two years driving us both crazy" she said gesturing between Kevin and herself.

"Well they look happy enough" Matt said innocently, causing Kevin to snort.

"But imagine how much happier they could be if they would just..." he said a little too loudly causing a few heads to turn and getting a glare from Jo.

"We've tried a few times to point out the obvious" Jo said more softly. "They don't want to hear it."

The song came to an end and the couple returned to the table oblivious to the chatter that had gone on.

"Ready to head out?" Neil asked which was met with a chorus of 'yes' in various forms.

Getting jackets together and heading to the door, Matt continued to watch the pair trying not to be too obvious.

"Penny for them" Jo said coming up beside him and linking her arm with his.

"Not worth that much" he smiled down at her. "I have been thinking about something Dr Miller said."

"Kevin" Jo corrected.

"Right, Kevin" he repeated. "Well, this is a crappy first date in my book. Would you like to go to dinner next week? Just us?" he asked after a few seconds pause.

"I would" she smiled, her eyes twinkling. "I really would."

X

"I'm glad you waited" Neil said, opening the door to Audreys cab as he always did. "I would have hated to miss that tradition" he smiled resting his hand in the usual place waiting for her to get in.

"Me too" she replied, resting her hand just next to his as usual with just a hairs breadth between them. "Goodnight Neil" she smiled.

"Goodnight Audrey" he replied, closing the door as he got inside.

Watching her cab pull away, he caught himself smiling ruefully in the reflection of the bus stop opposite and Jo walking up behind him.

His smile grew wild.

"How was your first date?" he teased earning himself a thump in the arm.

"Our first date is next week actually" she said with confidence. "We're going to dinner."

"That's great" Neil smiled. "I'm happy for you."

"It's just a date" Jo countered.

"Sure" he replied knowingly. "Just enjoy, be yourself and he'll love you in no time" he smiled.

"Are you marrying us off already?" she teased back. "If you're right, you can be my Man of Honor" she laughed.

"I'll take that bet" he laughed holding it his hand for her to shake on it.

He smiled watching her head back to Matt and noticed the way he looked at her. He was smitten already and she deserved to be happy. He wanted that, he wanted to feel those feelings but he and Audrey were at a stalemate again. The usual spark was coming back though, after months of them both suppressing it and he had mixed feelings about it.

Did he want to go through this again? Or would this time around be the one?

He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He would just have to wait and see.


	33. Chapter 33

"Where's Neil" Audrey whispered to Jo as they stood in a huddle near the nurses station waiting for rounds to start. It was the week before Halloween and the influx of patients was gradually increasing via the Emergency Room as usual. Every hand would be needed on deck, so his absence would be noted.

"He's sick" she replied. "Got a bad fever so Glassman sent him home."

"He actually showed up in the first place?"

"Yeah, you know him, he thinks he's a superhero" Jo laughed quietly before giving her a nudge and redirecting her attention to the attending in front of them.

Finding herself distracted throughout, she was relieved when rounds finished and they dispersed to continue with their day. She took her cell phone from her pocket and wrote a quick message.

'You okay? Need anything?'

Her finger hovered over the button for a couple of seconds wondering whether she should send it. They had been getting on great as friends recently and that's what friends did right? Checked in on each other?

She admonished herself and pressed send before sliding the device back in to her pocket and heading off to see her first patient of the day.

A couple of hours later, there had been no reply. 'He's probably sleeping it off' she told herself, not particularly concerned. But a few hours after that again, there was still no reply and now she was starting to worry.

"Have you heard from Neil" Audrey snapped at Kevin when she saw him in the hall that afternoon.

"Hi Aud" he replied cautiously. "You okay?"

"I'm fine" she replied, letting out a sigh and slouching her shoulders a little. "Neil went home sick this morning and I haven't heard from him."

"He's probably sleeping it off" Kevin said trying to reassure her. "But if you're that bothered, go over there after work."

"Can't you go?" she asked. "Not sure I should."

"Why not" Kevin countered. "You two are friends, aren't you. That's what friends do" he said with a shrug.

"Please?"

"Nope" he replied flatly, shocking her a bit. "I've got a date tonight with a guy that actually seems normal. Neil is a grown man who can take care of a fever. If your worried then you go over... as a friend of course" he winked.

He looked at her waiting for her to say something. Nothing came so he turned and left her standing there in the corridor.

After her shift ended, she was in the locker room changing to head out when Jo came in to grab something.

"Hey" she said, having leant from her earlier run in with Kevin.

"Hi Aud" Jo replied in a cheery manner. "Have you heard from Neil yet?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing" she smiled. "I haven't."

"Maybe I should head over there once I've finished here" Jo said, looking at her watch. "That's another five hours though. You could go?" she suggested to Audrey.

"I think I will" she replied. "I'll stop and get some supplies on the way."

"Let me know if you need anything" Jo said, grabbing what she had actually come in for and heading out the door again.

X

After stopping at the store and a late night deli she headed to Neil's apartment. She held her finger on his buzzer a little longer than she should have but she really wanted him to answer the door.

"Yeah" was the gruff response over the receiver, he sounded awful.

"It's me, Audrey. Can I come up?"

"Sure" he grunted, hanging up.

She arrived at his door in time to see him shuffling away after opening it to let her in.

"You okay" he asked sounding groggy. He dropped down heavily into the sofa, putting his head back and closing his eyes.

"I'm fine" she exclaimed, finding it a little amusing that he was asking after her even in his current condition. "I was worried about you" she said with a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not at my best" he said, giving her quite a pathetic smile. "I'll be alright."

"Have you taken anything?"

"Yeah, I took Tylenol when I got in" he said opening one eye. "I am a doctor you know!"

"That was over 8 hours ago Neil, you should take some more."

"Oh, okay" he answered, sounding quite meek. "I didn't realise the time. I'll get some now." But as he made to stand, he let out an involuntary groan, prompting Audrey into action.

"Sit" she said sharply. "I'll go... where is it?"

"In there" he replied waving his arm in the general direction of his bedroom.

She headed off towards his room, pausing briefly at the threshold. Taking a deep breath, she walked in and straight to the small ensuite shower room. After rifling through the medicine cabinet for a couple of minutes, she found some strips of what she needed and turned to leave.

Stepping back into the bedroom again, she stopped. The bed was still perfectly made, sheets smooth and pillows plumped. 'He hasn't even been in here' she thought to herself shaking her head.

"Have you even been to bed?" Audrey asked as she passed by him to get a drink from the kitchen.

"I just sat here after I got in. I haven't moved" he replied, sounding defeated. "Thanks" he said taking the glass and the tablets from her.

She put her hand on his forehead and tutted when she felt the heat emanating from it.

"You're still burning up" she said, moving her hand to feel around his collar. "And your shirt is damp. Come on, on your feet" she said, taking his hands and pulling.

"What are you doing?" he moaned as she took away the blanket he'd wrapped around himself and started to unbutton his shirt. "Aud!" he said more sharply than he intended, batting her hands away to get her attention.

"You need out of these damp clothes and into a shower" she said quite plainly. "Move it Melendez" she said giving him a little shove towards his bedroom door.

He gave a small smile and nodded. "You're right, as always" he said. "But I think I can take off my own shirt."

"Okay" she said blushing a little but not feeling the need to look away. "Go on" she encouraged.

She watched as he dropped the blanket and finished removing his shirt, throwing them into the corner of his bedroom. He rested his hands on his belt buckle and looked back up at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Sorry" she laughed. "I'll get your towels. Where do you keep them?"

"Just in there" he smiled, pointing to a closet door behind her.

She turned and let out the breath she was holding as she heard the bathroom door close and the water start running. With the towels in hand she stood right outside the bathroom door arguing with herself.

Should she knock and just step in quickly to put the towels on the side or should she leave them on the bed meaning he'd get cold and drip all over the floor getting to them.

Making her decision, she took a deep breath, gave a light knock and pushed the door open slowly. She knew from her earlier visit that with the bathroom door open, she wouldn't be able to see into the shower cubicle unless she looked on purpose but she was still nervous that she might better overstepping. She put one foot across the threshold, put the towels on the side and stepped back out closing the door gently behind her.

In the next ten minutes, Audrey switched on the bedside lamp and turned off the main light. She pulled back the corner of his sheets and lined up the medications she'd taken from the cabinet earlier on the low table next to the bed. There were bottles of water and a few snacks there too just in case he felt like eating something.

'What else, maybe the TV remote?' she thought looking around but not being able to see it anywhere. 'Must have a fancy hidden one' she smiled to herself.

She hadn't noticed the water being shut off or heard the cubicle door open while she was busy getting things together so when she turned and saw him in the doorway, wrapped in just a towel, she startled and let out a little yelp.

"Sorry" he said with a small smile and moving to sit on the end of the bed.

"No, I uh, I'm sorry" she said. "I didn't hear the water stop."

"You've been busy" he said, noticing the efforts she had made for him. "Thank you."

"It's nothing" she smiled softly. "I drew the line at rifling through your drawers to find your pyjamas though" she laughed.

"I'll get those. Seriously, thank you" he said. "You didn't have to do all this."

"What after friends for" she replied holding his gaze for longer than she should have. "Chicken soup" she exclaimed suddenly and quite loudly, causing him to wince.

"Pardon?"

"I stopped for chicken soup on the way. Do you want some?"

"I think I just want to go to sleep" he said letting out a long yawn. "Maybe in the morning?"

"No problem I'll cool it down and put it in the fridge for lunch. Soup is not breakfast food" she laughed walking back out into the living area, closing the door behind her for him to get dressed in private.

Five minutes later, he appeared again, fully dressed and towelling his hair.

"I actually feel a bit better" he smiled, walking towards her.

"Let me see" she replied putting her hand to his forehead again. "Still to warm for my liking" she said. "Not quite time for another dose yet but everything you need is in there."

He just smiled.

"What?" she asked a little abruptly, feeling a little on edge.

"Nothing" he smiled. "I just... it's just... nice. All of this..." he said softly. "Thank you for coming to check on me."

"No problem" she replied, feeling a little self conscious. He was still looking at her with a small smile but his eyes were getting heavy.

"Come on" she said. "Into bed with you!"

"What an offer" he teased. "How could I refuse that. You gonna come and tuck me in?" he said making her blush again. He knew he was pushing his luck but if she pushed back he'd already decided he was going to blame it on the fever.

"I tried to find the remote" she said quickly trying to change the subject. "Have you got one of those hidden televisions?" she asked.

He smiled his cheekiest grin at her before replying.

"No TV in here. Plenty of things to do in a bedroom... watching TV isn't one of them!"

"Night Neil" she said with a little laugh, shaking her head.

"Night Aud."

_** themintjournal - thanks for the prompt :-)**_


	34. Chapter 34

He woke the next morning, aching from top to toe but feeling a lot more human in general. He lifted his head gingerly off the pillow and smiled to himself when he saw it had gone 8am. When he arrived home from work yesterday, he was of the opinion that he wouldn't survive the night!

Stretching his achy muscles, he swung his legs out and sat up, letting out a small groan as he realised, he still had a thumping headache.

'Caffeine' he thought. 'Caffeine will fix that' and he stretched again, a little more gently before getting to his feet and shuffling to the bathroom.

He noticed that his bedroom door was slightly ajar which is not how he would normally have left it but he was quite sure he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow last night.

He smiled at that thought. Last night.

Audrey had come over after working a long shift to check that he was okay. She'd looked after him, bought him supplies and kept him company for a couple of hours and he was very grateful. He would have to think of a worthy thank you. He would have slept on his sofa last night in his work clothes if it wasn't for her.

Stepping out into the dimly lit living area he stopped dead in his tracks. She was still here. Curled up on one end of his sofa, her feet tucked under a couple of cushions and her head lolled back, while she snored softly. On the table in front of her was a bowl of water and a small pile of wash cloths.

He smiled. She looked peaceful and he liked that look on her.

Making his way into his little kitchen, he noticed she had cleared up and stacked his dishes for him. He set about putting the coffee on as quietly as he could and once the water started dripping into the pot, he leaned back against the counter, folded his arms and waited.

He could tell from the way she started to stir that the rich, heady aroma had reached her. She opened her eyes slowly, reaching her arms up and stretching out.

"Morning" he said, smiling.

"Hi" she replied, smiling right back. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Much better, thank you. Are you alright?" he asked, nodding towards the bowl.

"I am. You weren't" she smiled. "Your fever went through the roof last night. I had to go Florence Nightingale on your ass" she laughed.

"Oh, really? Sorry" he said with a grimace. "I bet that wasn't pretty?"

"I'm going to be a trauma surgeon" she replied flatly. "I'm sure I'll see worse over the next few years" she teased getting to her feet and making her way towards him.

Walking right up to him and into his space, she put out her hand and held it to his forehead. He drew a sharp breath at her touch and his eyes fluttered closed.

"Much better" she smiled. "I'd be happy to discharge you now" she said, taking her hand away.

He shakily let out the breath he was holding and opened his eyes to look right back into hers. They were stood closer than they had been in a long time.

"Coffee?" was the only word he could trust himself to croak out and just like that, the moment was lost. He saw her shoulders relax and her chin drop a little and it made his chest tighten.

"Yes please" she said quietly before stepping back out of his personal space and looking for something to occupy her hands. A few seconds later, she was holding a steaming hot cup close to her lips, inhaling deeply.

"I love coffee" she smiled, almost talking to herself.

"Oh, I know. It's the best I could do to say thank you right now" he said smiling. "Not sure if I thanked you last night, but just in case I didn't... thank you" he said, stuttering over the words a little and starting to feel a little self-conscious.

"Well, you said a lot of things last night! But we'll put that down to the fever, shall we?" she teased, taking a sip. She laughed at the look of shock that crossed his face.

"Maybe I should apologise instead?" he asked cautiously.

"No, no it's fine. It was quite entertaining" she replied. She wasn't going to embarrass him. She wasn't going to remind him how bold he had been before she sent him to bed and she was certainly not going to tell him that when his fever was at its highest that it was her name he called.

"That's okay then" he said sounding relieved. "But I do owe you. Name your price?"

"I don't think you can afford me?" she teased, making him laugh out loud. "But if you insist... we go see The Avengers in April on opening night. I know we normally avoid the crowds, but I don't want to risk any spoilers. Deal?" she asked holding out her hand for him to shake.

"I can manage that" he smiled, shaking her hand gently.

X

Thirty minutes later she was almost ready to leave. She was just pulling on her boots and packing a few bits and pieces into her backpack.

"Sure you're feeling okay" she asked him again before stifling a yawn.

"I'm good" he replied. "I'm gonna sort some breakfast. Want some?"

"I'd best get going" she replied, zipping up her jacket. "Want to catch up on some sleep, I'm back in at 5."

"I'm sorry" he said feeling a little guilty for her current state. "I'm not back until tomorrow" he said coolly, kicking himself at his awkward attempt at casual conversation. 'What is wrong with me' he thought, feeling he'd momentarily lost the ability to talk to her.

"Sure you don't want to stay" he asked. "I make a mean Mexican Scramble and it's only moderately healthy" he smiled moving towards the refrigerator, hoping to rescue the situation.

She paused a moment, seriously considering his offer but eventually shook her head.

"I should go. Maybe some other time" she said cringing inwardly. What was wrong with her. When would there be another time, it's not like she slept over on a regular basis?

"Sure" he said giving her a little smile. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You will" she replied. "I'll still be there when you come in. I'll try to keep things in order for you. Should help with the headache" she smiled. "Bye Neil. Make sure you rest up until tomorrow" she said on her way out of the door.

"Promise" he replied holding up his hand in a boy scout salute. "Bye Aud."

The door clicked shut behind her and he sighed, shaking his head. He felt like a teenager trying to talk to his high school crush, struggling to get the right words and feeling hot and bothered by it all. 'It's got to be the last of this fever' he said to himself.

Opening the fridge door to get what he needed, he stopped again. She brought him soup last night and he vaguely remembers being teased about it for some reason.

Soup for breakfast it is, he smiled to himself.


	35. Chapter 35

It was finally April.

Audrey had been looking forward to April for a while and the excitement was starting to show.

"I've been offered preview tickets" she said excitedly to Neil as he walked up to the nurse's station at the start of his shift.

"Hi" he replied with a smile. "How are you today? I'm just fine, thank you!"

"Yeah sure, all of that. Did you hear what I said?"

"I did" he laughed. He loved seeing her this excited and was going to prolong this conversation as much as possible. "But what on earth are you talking about?'

"You know full well!" Audrey exclaimed. "Avengers is out on April 26th. I've had an email today offering a preview showing on April 24th!"

His face fell and his heart broke a little when he realised the effect his next words would have.

"I know you've already booked the tickets for opening night, but this would be awesome. My treat!" she rambled on.

"I can't" he said, disappointed when her face reflected the same. "Adam and I have tickets to see The Boss remember? I got them for his birthday, he's coming into town especially. Aud, I'm so sorry."

"Oh" she replied, looking downcast before realising they were in public and lifting her chin and putting on a half smile. A half smile which he noticed didn't reach her eyes. "It's fine. I'm sure Jo or Kevin will come just this once."

"I am really, really sorry" he said sounding flat. He was disappointed she didn't think to wait for him but he'd never ask. She was so excited.

Saved by the bell, or by the page they found themselves called to the Emergency Room to assist. There had been a minor traffic incident but they wanted hands on deck to assess patients as they arrived. Being third year residents, they now commanded a little respect and were also expected to provide guidance to those training below them.

X

Later that same day, Audrey caught up with Jo and Kevin and excitedly relayed the tale she had preview tickets and how she wanted one of them to come with her. Her words were flowing at a million miles per hour and they stood and smiled, waiting for her to finish.

"We can't Aud, we're going to be here. Lots of people were angling for leave that week, there's no way we'd be able to swap. Sorry" Jo said, really feeling sorry for her friend.

"It's okay" she said, sounding down. "I guess it's back to a movie trip for one this time around" she said with a half smile.

"It's still going to be your thing" Kevin said nudging her gently. "Yours and Neil's weird non- dating dates. Just not this one" he smiled.

Audrey rolled her eyes at him and his ridiculous insistence that she and Neil were dating but didn't argue back. The argument that three or four movie trips a year would be the worst dating life ever fell on deaf ears. Since the night she spent on his sofa to look after him, it seemed that Kevin's imagination had gone into overdrive.

For about a week afterward, the teasing had come thick and fast but then stopped suddenly. She was quite sure that Neil had said something but he would never admit it. He knew the trouble he would get into defending Audreys honour without her permission.

Feeling disappointed, she excused herself and went off to pick up a coffee from the lobby. She understood their position, but was certainly a little sad. She told herself that it wasn't because she'd regressed back to antisocial Audrey, but she still needed a moment.

X

With days to go before the preview, Audreys excitement was building again. She'd gotten over the disappointment and promised him that she'd still go with him opening night. He'd never admit it, but he actually enjoyed watching these movies and not just because he got to spend time with her.

"When's Adam getting in?" she asked, catching up with Neil before rounds started that morning. She didn't notice Jo frantically shaking her head in attempt to get her to stop talking and carried on. "You guys got big plans?"

"Not anymore" he said, turning to her with a face like thunder. "The idiot fell and broke his leg yesterday. He can't travel" he said snappily.

"Oh" she said, not really knowing at this point how she could help at all. Neil hardly ever got cross; he wasn't a hot headed type so seeing him like this was unusual. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

Neil's face softened and he gave her a little smile.

"He'll be okay" he replied. "He's getting a few pins put in today but certainly won't be concert ready in time. Sorry I snapped, I'm... well I'm pissed off" he said shrugging his shoulders.

Jo and Kevin looked on, amused at the almost instant change in Neil's mood, all down to the presence of Audrey.

There was no time for further chat as the attending demanded their attention and rounds began.

X

Tuesday came around quickly and Neil and Audrey was both finishing at 4. They walked out to the parking lot together but the mood was sullen.

Neil's bad mood was a direct contrast to Audreys excitement and they must have looked quite the pair as they walked. Audrey had a bounce in every step, excited to see what she was calling 'the best film of the year'.

Neil was dragging his feet a little. He was looking forward to the concert but was still a little bummed that he had to go alone. He knew full well that concerts aren't really places to stand and chat but it'd be more fun with company.

"Enjoy tonight Aud" he said as they stopped briefly by his car.

"I will" she replied excitedly. "You too. Are you still getting dinner?"

"Dinner for one? No, I cancelled the reservation. I'm going to head down straight from home around 6 to see if I can sell off his ticket."

"Well, the concert will be amazing I'm sure" she smiled trying to end the conversation on a positive note.

"See you Thursday" he replied. "No spoilers please" he smiled as her got into his car.

X

He was ready. Grabbing his jacket, he checked he had the tickets and turned towards the door, almost jumping out if his skin when he heard a short, sharp knock.

He hadn't buzzed anyone in so he checked the spy hole and did a double take. What was she doing here?

"Everything okay?" he said as he opened the door to see Audrey standing there. She looked nervous and he waited while she took a deep breath before answering.

"I buzzed your neighbour to let me in. Told her I was going to surprise you" she started.

"Riiight?"

"Well, surprise!" she exclaimed, waving her hands and feeling like an idiot.

"The movie starts in...45 minutes" he said checking his watch. "You're cutting it fine."

"I gave away my ticket" she said, sounding more confident. "I thought you might want some company tonight?" she asked.

He looked at her and couldn't help it as a smile spread across his face. A full beam, Neil Melendez megawatt smile. Just for her.

"Is that okay" she asked. She knew the answer from his reaction but she wanted to hear the words.

"It's better than okay" he said, smile still played across his face. "Are you sure? I didn't think you liked Springsteen?"

"I don't, but I'm sure" she replied. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely" he smiled, pulling the door closed behind him. 


	36. Chapter 36

The concert was amazing, just as they expected it would be. The Boss played for hours and even Audrey enjoyed more than she would ever admit.

"Want to leave now? Get out before the crush?" he shouted in her ear, making her jump.

"No way, I committed to this. I'm staying to the end" she smiled.

"Great" he replied and he went back to watching the stage while Audrey went back to watching him.

As the last few chords of Thunder Road rang out, the lights came up and the rush for the exits started.

"Want to wait here a bit?" he asked, watching as row upon row emptied, adding to the backlog of people trying to squeeze out of the exits.

"Probably best' she said smiling. "So...I actually enjoyed that. I recognised a lot more songs than I thought I would" she admitted as they sat back down in their seats.

"Excellent! So I've converted you?" he laughed while she shook her head. "That was a brilliant show, I'm gutted Adam couldn't make it" he said with a sigh. "Not that it wasn't great watching it with you" he added quickly.

"You realise Kev is going to have a field day with this right?" Audrey said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah he will, he still insists we are dating" Neil laughed. "But we can take it. Maybe we should suggest he focuses more on his own love life."

"Instead of ours" Audrey agreed hastily. "Not _ours_ as in _ours_. You know what I mean" she tutted as he chuckled at her reaction.

They sat in silence for a few moments more, watching people pass by until they decided it was a good time to make a move.

Neil headed down the narrow stairs first with Audrey following behind. Pulling the door open, they found themselves face to face with hundreds of other people still moving along the concourse.

He found himself automatically reaching behind for her hand before stepping out into the crowd and smiled when she gripped it tightly.

Getting caught up in the flow towards the exit was not comfortable. Some lines of people were moving faster than others and if they hadn't been holding on tight, they'd have been separated in no time. More than once, he could feel her pressed right up against his back as the crowd in front slowed down for a few moments.

Finding themselves thrust outside into the fresh April air they stopped to one side, out of the way. They intended on leaving via the door they had arrived by to be close to the car, but that plan had quickly gone out of the window. Stood there, still holding hands, they caught their breath and smiled at each other.

"Could have waited a little longer maybe" Audrey said smirking at him.

"Ya think?!" he laughed, looking down at their hands, still linked together.

Clearing her throat, she took her hand away and he could have kicked himself for drawing attention to it.

"Ready to head back to the car?" he asked. 'Got a bit further to walk from this side."

"Sure" she replied with a smile. "Let's go."

The sidewalks were busy, people were milling around after the concert finding a place to have a drink and maybe a late dinner. Neither of them were in any rush to get back to the car so they strolled along side by side.

"Thank you for coming tonight" Neil said, smiling at her. While they walked he'd stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, it was a little cooler out now than when they had arrived.

"Not a problem" she replied. "Like I said, I actually enjoyed" she laughed, inadvertently giving a shiver. It didn't go unnoticed by Neil, and before she could say a word, he'd shucked off his jacket and was putting it on her shoulders.

She gave him a look of _'really'_ and he just shrugged. "My parents raised me to be a gentleman" he said smiling. "I'll be fine."

"Well, I'll try to remember to thank them" she smiled. Over the next few step, she moved a little closer until their shoulders were almost touching. She took a deep breath and linked her arm in his. He didn't say a word, he just kept his eyes straight ahead but he did have a little smile on his face.

"What?!" she challenged. "Penguins stand close to share body heat. Nothing to see here" she said, smiling to herself.

"Yes Ma'am" Neil replied keeping his eyes front but still with that little twinkle that came with every smile.

X

Dropping her at the kerb outside her apartment, he watched in amusement as she tried to remove his jacket in the confines of his front seat.

"It's started raining Aud. Just hang in to it until tomorrow" he chuckled. "If it's easier..."

"Oh hush" she smiled. "I'm half done now" she said, flicking the half empty sleeve towards him. "Pull" she demanded.

He gave a little tug and almost snorted when she let out a little growl in response.

"Honestly Aud, I have another jacket" he said.

"No!" she snapped before checking herself. "Sorry, sorry" she said. "I just didn't think it'd be a good idea to return your clothing at the hospital. You know, in front of other people."

"Back to that again?" Neil sighed. "It's just a jacket. It's not like it's my underwear" he said shaking his head.

"Neil!"

"What? If it's a problem, I'll have it back Thursday. I'm picking you up right?"

"Yes please" she replied as she sat back heavily in her seat, letting out a big sigh. "That would be great, thank you" she said sounding relieved.

"I know I said this earlier, but thank you Aud" Neil repeated. "It means a lot that you came tonight."

"Yeah, you said. You know I just figured we'd have better seats for Thursday anyhow" she said with a shrug moving to get out of the car.

"Sure thing" he replied with a laugh. "Night Audrey."

"Night Neil" she smiled before heading off to her front door at a jog.

He watched as she dodged the puddles and made it to her front door. She turned and gave a wave as she shook the rain from her hair. He gave a smile and raised his hand as a response and started the ignition to head home.

'I wonder if I would have enjoyed tonight as much with Adam' he thought to himself on the way home.

X

Two days later, he was sat in the same spot at the kerb waiting for Audrey. He knew she had been running late leaving the hospital that evening with a last minute emergency which she needed to attend to. He'd give her another couple of minutes then he'd have to go and knock. It was going to be busy tonight and they'd still need to park the car despite not being in a rush to find seats.

Just as he was about to undo his seatbelt, he saw her door open and a rather frazzled looking Audrey trotting towards the car. He couldn't help but smile.

She dropped into the passenger seat with a "sorry" busting from her lips before he could even say hi.

"It's fine" he smiled. "You okay?"

"Just hate running late" she replied, pulling on her belt. "Chop chop" she smiled over at him getting a shake of the head in return.

They arrived at the parking lot with around five minutes to spare to discover that there were no decent spaces to be found. Dropping Audrey at the entrance with instructions to get the snacks in he circled again eventually squeezing the car into a space right at the back, restricted by one of the neighbouring vehicles who was parked over their line.

He squeezed himself out of the driver's door and set off at a jog making it just in time to catch Audrey going into the screen to find their seats.

"Hope you aren't going to get towed" she teased. "Last thing I need after today is a walk home."

"We're fine" he chuckled. "Might need to lay off the snacks if you want to squeeze back in later though" he continued earning himself a thump to the arm.

There was little time to catch up on the rest of their day before the lights went down and the movie started. Spending the next couple of hours alternating between watching the movie and Audrey, it was Neils turn to enjoy his evening more than he thought. He almost laughed out loud when she cringed as Hulk beat Loki into submission and grinned as she let out a hissed "yes" as Hulk saved Stark before he crashed into the ground.

Learning their lesson after the concert, they waited until the exit was clear before making a move.  
"Want to get a coffee?" he asked as they headed to the exit. "Doubt I could actually get into my car right now. If we hang on a bit, they might move first."

"Sure. We need to discuss what just happened in detail" she replied, smiling at his confused reaction.

"What happened? What did we do now?"

"Nothing" she said, shaking her head. "I need to talk about what we just watched. Pick holes in the plots and figure out where it's going next."

"We can do that" he smiled.

X

Sat side by side, they had a good debate about how Neil thought Thor was better than Ironman because his strength was natural, not man made. Audrey argued the opposite that Tony Starks massive brain was his natural strength and Thor was born with an unfair advantage.

After agreeing to disagree, they finished their drinks and headed out to check on the car, Audrey casually linking her arm with Neil just as she had done a couple of nights before.

What they didn't realise was that one simple action that neither of them even thought about would be the start of events that would change the course of their relationship the next few years. 


	37. Chapter 37

**I'm off for minor surgery tomorrow so might be a bit slow on the updates this week coming. Sorry!**

Dr Lim. Do you think I could ask you something in private?" one of the ward nurses asked her as she stood, quietly updating patient notes at their station.

"Sure, okay" Audrey replied, looking around for a more secluded spot. She assumed that the nurse wanted to ask a medical based question in private. She certainly did not expect what was coming next.

"Can I ask you about Dr Melendez?" she started to Audreys surprise. "Some of the new residents have been talking and we were all kind of wondering... You're close right?"

"Yes" she replied still feeling that the conversation was a little vague. "We're friends."

"Just friends? You're not..."

"Yes, just friends. Nothing more" she interrupted, getting frustrated engaging in what she considered gossip. "Is there something you actually need? I've got patients to see."

"Well, this is a little awkward" the nurse started. "Errrmm...is he dating anyone right now?" she asked quickly, as if rushing the words would make them less embarrassing to say out loud.

"He isn't" Audrey replied flatly, shaking her head.

"Great, thanks" the nurse smiled, still a feeling a little self-conscious.

"Is that all?" Audrey asked, feeling eager to get away from this whole weird conversation.

"Yes, thanks. Sorry if that was a bit... you know" the nurse said with a shrug and a grimace before walking away.

Audrey stood still for a moment trying to process what had just happened before a call snapped her out of her reverie and down to the Emergency Room.

X

Neil Melendez love life became a hot topic around the hospital in the days that followed. Once it had been confirmed straight from the most reliable source that he was available it seemed like flood gates had been opened.

One of the new first year residents had asked him on a date within a day of that awkward conversation. That had been a tough one to talk himself out of but eventually he'd insisted they keep their distance. He was considered to be in a senior position to her in the eyes of the hospital and it wouldn't look good for either of them.

Sat outside enjoying the sunshine during their lunch break, Neil and Kevin spent some time catching up with each other. Their busy schedules meant that they still had to take every opportunity they could to see each other whether it was lunch or just a coffee.

"You need to get out more" Kevin said nudging Neil in the side. "Look at all these ladies looking at you. When was the last time you went on a date. You need to get on with your life Neil, meet someone you can actually be with."

"I'm fine" Neil replied. "I'm not looking for anything, I'm way too busy here."

"And in the little downtime you have, you should date! Summer is the best time to meet someone. People wear less clothes and the ones they do wear are a lot tighter!"

"Are you for real? I spend most of my life in scrubs or a white coat you idiot! Neither of which are particularly eye catching" he laughed.

"Well, you're the only one that seems to think so" Kevin laughed. "Come on, get on board. Get a life" he pushed, laughing as Neil just shook his head in response.

"I'm not saying you need a girlfriend..."

"Are we back in high school here or something?" Neil exclaimed.

"Let me finish" Kevin scolded. "I'm not saying you need a girlfriend or that you have to marry the next woman who makes eye contact but you're young, free and single. Have some fun."

"Fine" he mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Fine" he repeated. "Maybe I'll consider it."

"Nope, I need more of a commitment" Kevin laughed. "Next person to ask you out, you say yes."

"Will it shut you up?" he sighed.

"Yes" Kevin replied as a matter of fact.

"Deal" he laughed holding out his hand for Kevin to shake on it.

"Deal" Kevin repeated. "This is going to be great" he laughed sitting back in his seat, linking his hands behind his head. "This could be _very_ entertaining."

X

"Well you've opened a can of worms, haven't you?" Jo casually remarked to Audrey as they changed day for their shift later that day.

"What are you talking about?" Audrey replied looking confused.

"The conversation you had with Nurse Davies?" she hinted and Audrey just shook her head slowly. "About Neil?"

"Oh that" she replied. "That was weird. She wanted to know if we were... you know."

"I know" Jo replied. "You were apparently seen last week at the movies looking cosy."

"What? No! Cosy how? We sat together but that's it."

"No strolling along arm in arm?" Jo pushed.

"Oh, that" Audrey replied.

"Yeah, that" Jo laughed. "So when you confirmed you guys are just friends, seems people have taken that as a green light that he's on the market!" Jo smiled. "Kev said he's been asked out three times this week already!"

"Wow" was the only response Audrey could muster.

"Yeah wow" she laughed. "You wait until he figures out this is your doing" she teased.

"He won't mind, I'm sure" Audrey said trying to sound blasé as she tied her hair up into her signature bun.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough" Jo replied as they headed out to handover.

X

"I've made him promise to accept the next date he's asked on" Kevin whispered to Jo as they milled around for a few moments after handover was finished.

"You did what?!" she exclaimed a little too loudly, causing some heads to turn. "Why would you do that?" she asked more hushed. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about Neil" Kevin hissed. "He is so far in the friend zone with Audrey that I don't think there is any way back from it. He deserves to be happy, doesn't he?"

"He does" Jo agreed, looking glum. "But what about Audrey?"

"She's not getting divorced for at least another year" he stated. "And then who knows? If she decides then to carry on as just friends, it'll break his heart."

"I hate it when you're right?"

"I know" Kevin replied casually draping his arm over her shoulder. "You think you'd be used to it by now" he smirked.

"Well all I can say, is that we'd best get ready to pick up any pieces then" Jo said grimacing up at him.

X

The next day, waiting in line for his coffee Neil stood chatting to a technician from the radiology department. They passed the time while the barista prepared their drinks and then he heard the words...

"Do you want to sit?" she asked nodding towards an empty table nearby.

He was about to make his excuses but he heard the devil on his shoulder with Kevin's voice reminding him of their deal.

"Sure" he smiled, holding out his hand to indicate she should lead the way. They sat at a small table near the window and carried on talking while they drank their coffees.

"I'd best get back" she said eventually. "Was nice to meet you properly Neil."

"You too, Louise" he smiled as they stood and moved to drop their empty cups in trash. "Maybe we could do this again?" he asked feeling bold.

"That'd be nice. You know where to find me" she said with a smile as she turned to walk away.

He smiled as he watched her leave thinking to himself that coffee probably didn't count as a date in Kevin's eyes. Maybe they could do better.


	38. Chapter 38

He went to find her in her department the following week and asked her to dinner much to the entertainment of her colleagues who were eavesdropping on their hushed conversation just outside the door.

They exchanged numbers and agreed to meet at a restaurant on Thursday night. They were both in work that day but Neil was sure that the three hour window he had given himself would be sufficient to get changed and there in time.

How wrong he was. Thursday arrived and an hour before Neil was due to finish for the day a gentleman in his twenties was admitted through the Emergency Room with severe chest pains and numbness down his left arm. Keen to get as much experience with all things cardiac, he jumped on the case with no consideration of the time.

After a thorough examination and tests it was found the patient had a 95 per cent blockage of the right artery and total block of the left anterior descending artery giving a diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis. It was absolutely critical that the patient underwent surgery as soon as possible and preparations were made. Neil was summoned into the OR to assist and did so without a second thought.

On cracking the patients chest, Neil was amazed to see that the heart had actually started to turn blue due to the extremely limited blood supply and lack of oxygen. There were also signs of other potential blockages which needed urgent attention. The surgical team performed three bypass grafts to restore blood flow to the heart again and were relieved as they watched the organ pink up again. The patient was going to be in hospital for around a week afterwards which was a small price to pay considering the alternative.

The surgery had taken around five hours to complete and as Neil scrubbed out, he noted the time and swore under his breath. Dashing off to the locker room, he retrieved his cell phone and let out a sigh. Two missed calls and a text from Louise. She had waited at the restaurant for half an hour and had eventually gone home. He imagined that she was not amused.

He called her back straight away to explain, but instead he left an apologetic voicemail when she didn't pick up. He wasn't surprised at her lack of response, she was probably thoroughly pissed off with him and had every right to be. It hadn't even crossed his mind to call her before going into surgery. He didn't usually have to think of someone else and he honestly felt bad and a little embarrassed at his lack of social awareness.

Heading home for the evening after stopping for takeout, he started to think of how he could apologise. He didn't know her well enough to know her likes and dislikes, that was the whole point of this evening's date. He shook his head thinking if this was even worth the effort.

X

He headed in early the next day, hoping to drop off his apology in the Radiology department before Louise and her colleagues arrived for the day. He had settled on a decent bunch of flowers. Nothing too extravagant as to make it awkward, but definitely nice enough so that she knew he was actually sorry. He was going to drop them at the front desk and leave, hoping that she didn't suffer from allergies and she'd give him a another chance.

Sheepishly peering around the door, he caught the eye of another technician, took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"Can I leave these here please?" he asked the young man. "They're for Louise" he added.

"Sure Dr Melendez" he replied. "She'll be here in about ten minutes if you wanted to wait?"

"I think it's best I don't" he said with a half smile. "Thanks anyway."

Stopping in the lobby for a coffee to try and wake himself up a bit, he was accosted by Kevin and Jo.

"How was the date last night?" Kevin asked excitedly while Jo stood by with a stern look on her face.

"Non starter" he replied. "I got caught up in the OR and couldn't let her know. She probably thinks she was stood up" he said shaking his head.

"But you called her afterwards to explain right?" Kevin quizzed.

"I did, but she didn't pick up and I don't blame her. This dating thing is not for me right now Kev, I don't have the time. I honestly didn't give her a second thought as I stepped into that OR last night. She must think I'm an arrogant asshole. I think all the interest will wear off once word of that gets around" he said with a sarcastic laugh.

Jo's face cracked a little smile that didn't go unnoticed.

"What?" Neil asked, looking at her curiously.

"Nothing" she said smiling wider.

"You women are crazy" Neil blurted out, feeling frustrated. "I've got no idea what's going on, or why everyone is so interested in my distinct lack of love life. You haven't signed me up to some dating site have you?" he asked Jo accusingly.

"Oh, this isn't my doing" Jo laughed out loud. "This is aaaaaall Audrey" she spilled before clapping her hand over her mouth.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he exclaimed leaning in. "What are you talking about?"

"Calm down Neil" Kevin said quietly, putting his hand on his arm. "You're causing a bit of a scene."

"Nothing" Jo said, trying to keep the peace. "She just told one of the nurses that you guys weren't an item and that you were single. That's all."

"That's all" he huffed. "That's all!"

"She didn't know you'd become mister popular overnight" Kevin added. "It's not like she was pimping you out."

"Hhmmph" was the only response he gave as he snatched up his cup, turned and stalked off into the depths of the hospital.

"Should we warn her?" Kevin asked.

"I don't think it'll help. She figured this would happen sooner or later" Jo replied. "I was just hoping for later. This idea of yours was rubbish, you know."

"Yeah, I can see that now" he agreed. "It wasn't exactly what I had planned but neither of them did what I thought they would do. He was meant to date a few people and realized that he needed to give Audrey another push. Not my most successful plan" he grimaced.

X

A hour later Neil's phone buzzed in his pocket. Checking the screen he smiled when he saw a text message from Louise.

'Apology accepted. Thank you.'

'Think we could try again?' he tapped back. He waited a few seconds to see if she replied quickly and when she didn't, he slid his phone back into his pocket.

Looking up, he saw Audrey approaching, head down focused on a patient record.

"So you're my personal matchmaker now are you?" he challenged, stepping directly into her path.

"What? Who? What are you taking about?" she replied, snapping the file shut to focus on him. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, looking agitated.

"Just as I thought we were doing good at the friends thing, you tell people I'm fair game? I'm looking to date? Well I'm not" he hissed not taking any notice of the look of shock on her face.

"That's not what happened" she started. "I..."

"Save it Aud. You've got no say whatsoever in my love life, or lack of. It's none of your business" he snapped before turning and walking away leaving her stunned.

X

Kicking himself for being so harsh, he sat down heavily on the bench in the locker room. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw a message.

'Sure' it simply read.

'Tomorrow night? I get off at noon.' he tapped after he doubled checked the schedule.

'Think you'll have enough time?' came the response, making him smile to himself.

'I think so' he replied.

'It's a date'

'It's a date' he typed back, smiling as he put the phone in his locker while he changed into scrubs. He was scheduled to assist on a surgery straight after rounds today so took the opportunity to change now instead of rushing later.

He heard the door to the locker room open and someone step inside. Thinking it was nothing out of the ordinary, he carried on and as he stood in just his pants, hanging his shirt up, he heard her say his name.

"Aud! What are you doing in here?" he asked, grabbing his scrub top and pulling it on quickly.

"I want to apologise" she said. "You caught me by surprise out there so I didn't get the chance to explain myself."

"I've got to get going, can it wait?"

"No" she said forcefully. "I want to explain. Like you said, the friend thing is going good for us. I don't want to spoil it."

"Okay, I'm listening" he said, pulling his white coat on over his scrubs and sitting back down on the bench. She sat next to him, her hands clasped in her lap and started to speak.

"I was asked if you and I were... you know" she started, not looking at him while she spoke. "We'd been spotted looking 'cosy' at the movies according to Jo. I said no, and when they asked if you were single I just said yes. Nothing more to it, honest."

"That's it?"

"That's it" she repeated, eventually looking at him and seeing that his face had softened since their earlier encounter. "Sorry if it's caused you drama" she said with a wry smile.

"Maybe a heads up would have been good?" he suggested. "I just accused Jo of setting me up for online dating" he said shaking his head, laughing to himself. "She's going to kill me!"

Audrey snorted, she couldn't help it and Neil grinned at her reaction.

"Friends?" he said offering his hand. "Back to normal?"

"Back to our normal" she smiled, accepting his offer. "Whatever that is" she laughed as they stood and headed out onto the floor. 


	39. Chapter 39

Neil's second attempt at a first date with Louise went well. He made sure to arrive at the restaurant early and was waiting there with a smile when she arrived.

"Hi" he said suddenly feeling a little shy and quite self conscious. The bravado he'd felt when he'd actually asked her out had run for the hills now that he was sat here looking at her smiling face.

"Hi" she replied with a smile which made her eyes twinkle. "You made it?"

"Yeah" he said feeling the self consciousness shifting quickly to embarrassment. "I can explain..." he started.

"I know all about it, hospital grapevine" she smiled. "It's fine, it happens."

"That's good, thanks" he smiled back with a wave of relief waving over him. He stood and gestured towards the tables. "Shall we?"

They sat across from each other and talked right through from appetizer to dessert without directly bringing up the topic of St Bonaventure. They found out each other's likes and dislikes, favourite foods with a bit of family talk thrown in for good measure. They shared stories about their time at college and where they hoped they would end up in their chosen fields.

"Chief of Surgery?!" she said with a hint of surprise. "That's bold for a fourth year resident" she smiled.

"Aim high" he shrugged. "I'll be there in ten years, I'll put money on it" he smiled.

There was a pause in the conversation and Louise gathered herself to ask the question that had been at the back of her mind since he'd initially asked her out.

She took a deep breath.

"Can I ask you something?" she eventually asked. "Personal?"

"Sure" he replied sitting back in his seat and dabbing the corners of his mouth. "Shoot."

She paused again and sat a little more upright in her seat before clearing her throat.

"You and Dr Lim..." she began, looking awkward as he started to shake his head with a thin lipped smile.

"Are friends" he finished.

"Really? It's just been popular opinion for a while around the hospital that you guys are more than that."

"Maybe we could have been once" he said shaking his head. "But certainly not any more. Just friends" he smiled.

"Okay" she smiled back. "Thank you. Sorry but I just had to ask."

"It's fine" he confirmed. "It's hard to find someone who understands the hospital lifestyle. I guess it can all get a bit incestuous sometimes" he said shaking his head.

"I get it" she smiled. "I guess it's hard to find someone to get a movie with on a weekday morning or the middle of the night when your working eighty hours a week.

"I'll drink too that" he smiled, holding up his glass to toast.

X

After insisting on picking up the check, they walked slowly back towards his car. "Can I give you a ride home?" he asked, looking to spend a few extra moments with her.

"I actually live just a couple of blocks from here" she replied with a smile. "I'll be fine."

"Least I can do is walk you then?" he suggested and smiled when she linked her arm in his.

They stopped on the front steps of the apartment she shared with a couple of roommates. She took a couple of steps up and turned to face him.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked, her voice a little shaky. "Just for a coffee" she added quickly.

He glanced over and saw the blinds in the nearby window move which made him chuckle.

"I can't tonight, sorry" he said. "But maybe next time" he added, seeing her face fall a little.

"Sure" she smiled. "Next time."

"I think your roommates are expecting a show this evening though" he teased as her head snapped around to see the blinds twitching again.

"Sorry" she sighed, shaking her head. "They don't get out much."

"Sadly, neither do I" he lamented. "But if it's okay with you, we can give them a preview" he smirked and she nodded mutely.

He took one step up towards her, putting their noses almost level. Tucking some loose hair back behind her ear, her took the chance to cup her face in his hand. Smiling softly, he closed the gap and kissed her, smiling as he felt her kiss him back.

"See you tomorrow" Neil said quietly as they smiled shyly at each other.

"See you tomorrow" she repeated before she turned and headed up the last couple of steps and in through her front door.

He walked slowly back to his car, kicking his heels with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Smiling to himself, he thought about how he had enjoyed himself this evening and how he really did hope they could do this again. Maybe it would work well dating Louise. She seemed to understand the time constraints and challenges he faced and was already well established in her own department.

It was probably sensible to date someone he wasn't competing with. They only had eighteen months left before their final set of exams and had to apply for fellowships even before that. Despite the fact that St Bonaventure was a prominent surgical centre, funds were still limited and subsequently so were employment opportunities. It was rare that an entire intake of residents would find employment at their training hospital but it was not something that the friends had talked about yet. None of them wanted to bring it up.

By the time he got back to his car, his mood was more sullen until he dropped into his seat and checked his cell. He'd had a text.

'Thanks for tonight. Looking forward to next time.'

'Me too. Soon' he replied.

X

The next few months passed in a blur and it was soon October, widely considered the start of the most challenging period for anyone working in a hospital. The build up to Halloween always brought in the interesting and downright weird and Christmas and New Year was always the busiest with regular offices keeping holiday hours.

Before all that chaos began, the four friends were heading off to a concert on a rare night out together. Their schedules were as crazy as always and Jo was spending a lot of her free time with Matt which Audrey was finding quite challenging so this time was precious.

Despite their spotty success rate, Neil and Louise were still dating. They'd had to take rain checks on many more dates than either of them would have liked but after a few more successful ones, he'd eventually accepted her invitation to come in for coffee.

Earlier on in the year, the friends had purchased some Carrie Underwood tickets for Neil's birthday and tonight was the night. He had been looking forward for weeks and had been at the end of some good natured, but serious teasing about his notoriously dubious musical tastes. Despite that, a nice dinner had been booked at a local steakhouse and they were all currently sat around a table waiting for the server to place their order.

Conversations flowed as though they went for dinner weekly. They teased Jo about Matt when she announced she'd be meeting his family over Christmas this year. They found out all about Kevin's new partner, a police officer who he'd met in the ER. He'd been there to pick up a patient who had been arrested for a DUI but had needed some stitches first. They hadn't met him yet, but Kevin seemed happy so they were too.

They found out from Audrey that Kashal had been in town recently visiting the San Jose office and had stopped by the apartment to keep up appearances, just as they'd agreed.

"How was it?" Jo asked curiously.

"It was fine actually. It seems we get on better with no expectations" she said feeling peculiar talking about it.

"Did he stay?" Kevin asked, earning himself a smack in the arm. "Legitimate question considering they are 'married'" he said using air quotes.

"It's fine" Audrey chuckled. "He stayed at a hotel near the office to entertain clients."

"He hasn't changed his mind though right? You're still heading for that divorce right?" Jo asked.

"Absolutely" Audrey replied. "No going back there" she said with a shudder.

Neil stayed quiet for the duration of the Kashal conversation, not feeling that he could be objective in his opinions. He had told Audrey recently that she had no business poking into his love life, so he certainly couldn't voice his opinion on hers.

Once Audrey excused herself to use the bathroom, Kevin and Jo turned and started quizzing him on Louise.

"How is it going with you guys? It's been a few months right?" Kevin asked, hoping he sounded genuinely interested.

"It's good. We've seen each other quite a few times, luckily she seems to get how much I need to work right now" Neil replied.

"Yeah lucky" Jo replied snarkily. "Are you exclusive or can you see other people?"

"And here we are, back in High School again!" he exclaimed. "I hardly get time to see one woman, let alone anyone else. I've probably cancelled on her more times than we've actually been out" he said, suddenly feeling a bit uncertain about their relationship status.

Seeing his face change to disappointment as it dawned in him what was to likely to come, the friends glanced at each other. It seemed that until he'd actually said those words out loud, he hadn't believed that this couldn't be serious. With a nod from Kevin, Jo took the conversation up a gear.

"Do you think it'll last" she asked him bluntly.

"Kick me while I'm down why don't you" he replied, a little disappointed his friends hadn't seemed to notice his conflict. "Can we call time on this conversation please? This is meant to be fun!"

"Sorry" Kevin replied sheepishly. "Let's change the subject. How about we take another review of your amazingly bad musical tastes. The reason we are all here tonight!" he teased making them all laugh out loud.

"What did I miss?" Audrey asked as she arrived back at the table to find them in a very jolly mood.

"The usual 'pick on Neil because he likes good music' rubbish" he laughed as she sat down next to him.

"You like country. That's different" she said stoically making them roar with laughter again.

X

The concert was a sell out and they had splashed out for good seats considering that it was a gift. By the time they had finished dinner, they had missed the first few numbers of the opening act but what Neil did hear, he liked. He would have to remember to look Hunter Hayes on his Spotify later.

The main event started and the whole crowd got to their feet. She opened the show with a fantastic rendition of Good Girl and even Audrey would admit it gave her goosebumps to hear thousands of people singing along at once.

The biggest crowd pleaser of the night was Before he Cheats which seemed to be the pre-encore closer. "Shall we go now, beat the crowds?" Jo shouted loudly to Audrey.

"No way!" she replied shaking her head. "Look at him."

Jo turned to follow Audreys gaze and saw Neil with one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen plastered across his face. He was having the best time.

Underwood finished the show on just as much of a high note as she started and as the stage lights went out, the foursome sat back in their seats and waited for the crowd to clear.

"That was great" Neil said, smiling like an idiot. "Thank you so much. And thank you for sitting through it" he added, knowing they wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as he had.

"It wasn't that bad" Kevin admitted. "It was a great show, that floating platform was something else!"

Eventually they decided the crowds had thinned enough for them to join the lines for the exit. As they approached the concourse Neil held his hand out behind him and Audrey took it without question. Kevin and Jo exchanged a look between them and shrugged.

Maybe this thing wasn't over after all. 


	40. Chapter 40

Despite the expected tension, the build up to Christmas this year seemed slow. Everyone was on pins waiting for some big event to drop on them whether it be personal or work related.

To keep things interesting, Dr Glassman had reintroduced the patient survey incentive and they were all currently competing to get a chance for the pick of the next week's surgeries.

The first patient Kevin and Jo saw was a man in his forties who had caught the fingers of his left hand on a moving wood saw in work. The wound had been tightly wrapped on site but they were going to have to remove the dressing for as proper assessment. Inside they found the fingers dangling by a few shreds of muscle and skin and not a lot else. Dr Edwards, the plastic surgery attending was called urgently and decided that he could try and save just two of the fingers with what was left. However they had to get his wedding ring off his finger first.

The patient was out cold already at this time but his wife informed them that his ring was made from titanium and could not be simply cut off. Dr Edwards tasked Kevin to use a Q-tip to push bloody fragments of his finger back through the ring to remove it. The wife sat and held her husbands undamaged hand through the whole thing before they whisked him off to surgery.

Taking about it afterwards over coffee, they were all amazed by the woman's nerves of steel. "That's a real relationship goal" Kevin said wincing at the thought. "To have someone love you enough they could hold your hand through that."

Neil and Audreys case was a little more simple, but bloody nonetheless. A guy came in on his 19th birthday absolutely blind drink after deciding to sit on the edge of a large fish tank during a party at his parents home. Unfortunately for him, the tank did not take the weight, the glass broke and almost sliced off his entire butt cheek.

It was urgent but because of the amount of alcohol in his system, they would not be able to operate for a few hours during which they had to regularly change the dressing and entire that the flap of buttock was still receiving enough blood so it didn't die.

They eventually operated later that day and had to explain to some very irate parents about the delay and how their very expensive collection of tropical fish would have to be replaced.

The patient survey for Neil and Audreys patient came out on top and Dr Glassman congratulated them whilst commenting Kevin and Jo on an extremely close result.

X

Studying the surgery schedule for the following week, Neil and Audrey found themselves debating which case they should take.

Neil wanted to jump in on what could be a long term cardiac case for a man called Michael Kim. He had been a patient at the hospital for many years already and this time was scheduled for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Michael had received his first transplant aged 12 as a result of severe endocarditis but now there were further complications. In an effort to delay another transplant, they were going to operate to improve blood flow to the heart.

Attempts to manage his condition with lifestyle changes and medication had not been successful so he was given the choice of angioplasty or bypass surgery. While neither of these procedures would provide him with a solutions that would last forever, he decided with his family to go big and then go home. It was going to be a possibility with the angioplasty that he would be back sooner than he would have liked for another procedure. It was considered less permanent than bypass as it would not correct the underlying cause of the blockages which pretty much made the decision for them.

Audrey listened intently as Neil made his case and couldn't find a single reason not to agree. It was becoming more obvious that cardiac surgery was his passion while she remained focused on trauma. The fact that all of the procedures to choose from were scheduled, meant that none of them particularly held her interest so she would relent and follow his lead. Just not before making him work for it.

Arguing her case for what she considered a mundane and simple tumour resection they left each other at an impasse, with Audrey having the benefit of knowing exactly which way the decision would go the whole time.

The next two days, Neil continued to build his case almost every time he saw Audrey until Kevin and Jo banned him from talking about it during lunch, making him roll his eyes.

"Maybe we'll have to ask Glassman if we can do separate procedures this time?" he said. "I know we're meant to agree on it, but it's never going to happen."

"He won't like that" Jo replied, trying to stoke the fire. Audrey had told her exactly what her plans were and they were finding it amusing watching Neil squirm.

Just as he put the last bit of his lunch in his mouth, his bleep sounded and he excused himself to head back to the ward.

"You know you could get him to agree" Jo winked once she was sure he was out of ear shot. "He is an arrogant, stubborn S.O.B, but he'd do anything for you if you just asked."

"I'm not playing that card" Audrey laughed. "I'll let him have his surgery, it is actually the best choice but I want him to work for it first" she shrugged innocently.

The following day, he made a last ditch effort to persuade Audrey to agree the procedure on Michael Kim and restrained himself from hugging her when she finally agreed. He'd already done a phenomenal amount of research into the procedure and was very relieved to hear her decision.

X

The following Tuesday saw Mr Kim being prepped for surgery. The final tests had been completed and he was currently laid out on the table waiting to start.

The cardiac attending had decided on off-pump procedure also called beating heart bypass grafting because the heart isn't stopped and a heart-lung machine isn't used. Instead, the part of the heart where grafting is being done is steadied with a mechanical device for the duration. There would be less chance of infection, stroke or kidney complications for Michael who had already been through so much st his relatively young age.

The procedure went like clockwork and Michael spent just two days in the ICU. They continually monitored his circulation and blood pressure and he was moved to his room for the rest next five days.

Before they knew it, they were running through his post-op care ready for him to be discharged. He knew the drill, but it was a required formality. They went through how to care for his incision and how to recognise if there was any infection setting in. They scheduled his follow up appointments where they would do regular stress testing and echocardiograms.

"See you guys soon" he called over his shoulder as the porter wheeled him away.

"Thank you so much" Mr Kim's mother said as she shook both Audrey and Neil's hand vigorously. "We'll see you soon."

"Not a problem" Neil replied. "We'll see you again, but not too soon okay?"

X

"We should go celebrate. I think we can call that one a success" Audrey said as they walked together towards the locker rooms at the end of the shift. "Was really good to see him go home so well."

"I can't tonight sorry Aud. I'm picking up Louise in an hour" he said checking his watch. "We're..."

"Some other time maybe?" she interrupted not wanting to hear the detail.

"Sure" he smiled turning and heading inside to get changed.

She stood a moment, feeling unsure of how she felt. She honestly couldn't think of a single time in the last few years that he had said no to spending time with her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Jo coming up beside her.

"I'd offer a penny for your thoughts" she said, startling Audrey, much to her amusement. "Although, looking at your face I'd say they're worth a lot more."

"It's nothing" Audrey said smiling, giving a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hardly" Jo pushed. "You usually save that most pensive look for your patients and junior residents. What's up?"

"Our cardiac patient from last week just went home and I thought Neil might want to celebrate, that's all."

"But..."

"But he's got plans with Louise."

"Ah" Jo replied, quickly figuring out the reason behind her mood.

"I haven't really spoken to him about it because... well, you know. Is it serious?" she asked Jo, knowing her friend would tell the truth and not just what she wanted to hear.

"As much as it can be, I suppose. They aren't living in each other's pockets but that's probably mostly because of this place" she said gesturing around at the hospital itself. "Maybe if they had more time together they might be. But let's be truthful, if you worked it out, you probably spend more tine with him than she does."

"Hhmmph" came the unimpressed response. "Maybe I should start dating?" she said quietly, as if she said out loud by accident.

"Still married?" Jo reminded her. "Remember?"

"How could I forget. But no harm in testing the waters" she said, standing up a little straighter.

They both startled this time as the door behind them burst open and Neil appeared.

"Have you been stood here the whole time?" he asked Audrey, frowning a little. "You okay?"

"Sure, just getting caught up with Jo" she replied.

"That's okay then. I have to run sorry" he said smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow."

After saying their goodbyes, Audrey turned back to Jo with a serious look.

"He's happy isn't he?" she asked Jo.

"I think he is" Jo replied, nodding.

With a wry smile, Audrey turned and headed to the female locker room to change. There was not much more to say.


	41. Chapter 41

**So, this chapter was devised and pretty much written in full by 'themintjournal'. All I did was some formatting and a little editing to change a few bits to fit in with the upcoming story that is already planned out. All done with their permission. Please give them any credit due, they did an amazing job :-)  
**

X

"Are you sure you okay with this?" Kevin asked Audrey while they waited for Jo and Matt in the hospital lobby.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked innocently, knowing exactly what he was implying.

"C'mon, Aud. We're formally meeting Louise tonight. The girl Neil's been seeing for the past few months?" Kevin said sarcastically. "And you're fine?"

"I'm fine, now stop stirring" she warned "This is our annual Christmas dinner it just so happens to be a couple of extra people this year, that's all. Nothing to worry about" she said nonchalantly.

Tonight was the last night they were all available together before Christmas, despite it still being two weeks away. A combination of anti social shift work, family commitments and Jo going to Florida with Matt this year meant that they'd scheduled this in at the last minute.

It had originally clashed with an evening Neil had planned with Louise until he suggested that he could bring her along and none of them felt they could say no. Jo then invited Matt along as a further distraction and that set the stage for this evenings outing.

"What?" she continued after catching Kevins look of disbelief. "They've been seeing each other for some time now, it's only reasonable for us to meet her properly outside of work, right?" she asked.

Kevin didn't respond but scowled at her instead and Audrey let out a laugh at her friend's grimace. Both Jo and Kevin had always been big fans of the idea that Audrey and Neil would end up together, but whereas Jo had been the one doing all the teasing, Kevin had always taken it a bit more seriously despite him being the one actively encouraging Neil to start dating. Audrey wasn't aware of that titbit of information and he was hoping it would stay that way.

"Neil and I have been doing well as friends for a while now. If he's happy, then I'm happy for him," she said.

"Yeah, but doesn't it bother you at all, him being with someone else? Not even a little bit?"

Kevin's inquisition got her thinking. This was a subject she'd had avoiding taking about, even thinking about. Somewhere deep down, the thought of Neil being with someone else did have quite the sting but she had been trying to ignore it. Every time Louise would come up in a conversation she had purposely zoned out and never really pondered about it until right now when she was outright confronted with it.

"Aud?" Kevin asked, searching for her answer.

"I.. Uhmm.." she stuttered. As if on cue, Jo and Matt emerged from the elevator, half walking, half running towards them.

"Sorry, sorry you guys had to wait. My last patient decided to vomit all over me right before I left his room. I couldn't spent the evening smelling like that so I had to shower" she explained as they were all getting into Kevin's new car.

"Well, you wouldn't want 'barf-smelling' to be your first impression." Audrey joked, relieved to be free of Kevin's grilling. She was certain it would come up again, but she was glad that it was over for now.

X

Arriving at the bar, they found Neil and Louise already sat in a booth plenty big enough to fit them all in. Neil was a little apprehensive about this meeting and had regretted the suggestion almost as soon as it had left his mouth. Unfortunately, his friends then insisted on it and Louise had agreed it was time to meet the people Neil hung out with in his rare spare time.

They exchanged pleasantries as they took their seats and greeted each other with smiles, handshakes and the odd hug.

"Rough day?" Neil asked, trying to hide his uneasiness leading Jo into explaining why they were late.

"Sorry, were you guys waiting long?" Kevin asked.

"You guys are fine. Neil here was just telling me a few more tall tales about you guys." Louise said with a smile looking at Neil who tried not to squirm in his seat.

"All good things, I hope?" Audrey chimed in, eyeing Neil with raised eyebrows. He broke into a smile and nodded.

"All good things and nothing less," he answered with a little laugh.

"Well, it's great to officially meet you, Louise. I know we see each other in passing at the hospital, but it's nice to see you somewhere normal" Jo started.

Before Louise could even respond Kevin interrupted. "Perhaps we should order some food first before we get into all that? I'm starving," he suggested making everyone laugh.

The night continued smoothly and as they got to know Louise better as she was getting to know more about the group. Neil kept shooting glances at Audrey from across the table to see how she was reacting to all of this, but she was joining in the conversations and seemed to have no problem so he relaxed more as time passed.

The flow of the conversation was going great. They caught up on family news, Kevin's parents were still not in touch but he had sent them a card for Christmas this year with the encouragement of his new partner Ju-long. Neil updated them on Gabi and the trouble they'd had settling her into a new group home after her previous one had closed a few months ago. They teased Jo about meeting Matts parents next week which made him laugh out loud and even Audrey didn't escape. After their conversation the previous week, Jo had been pestering her to let her set up a dating profile for her. Something she declined again tonight arguing that she had only been joking at the time.

What nobody noticed while all this was going on, was when Neil and Louise were being attentive just to each other Audrey would look away. Eventually, there was a distinct part of the conversation that somehow ended up with Louise planting a quick peck on Neil's cheek and at that point, Audrey decided she needed a break.

"Next round is on me." Audrey declared as she got up to head to the bar.

"I'll help you with those," Neil offered, getting up to follow. "I just have to go to the restroom first."

X

As Audrey was waiting for their drinks to be prepared, a man approached looking a little unsteady on his feet.

"Hey there. You're way too pretty to be here alone." the stranger said, walking up a little too close for Audrey's liking and obviously not noticing the line of drinks the barman was currently putting out.

"Oh, no. I'm here with my friends," she responded, instinctively taking a step back to try and increase the distance between them. She glanced at the direction of their booth towards the back of the bar and the man followed her gaze. The remaining foursome were far too engaged in conversation to even look over and suddenly she felt a little vulnerable. She turned back to the bar and found the man looking back at her with a leering grin

"Seems like they're doing just fine on their own. Why don't you ditch them and come join me instead?" he asked taking a step closer and resting his hand on her arm.

"No thank you. I think I'm just going to get back to my table now," she said moving to pick up some drinks, trying to avoid further tension. She tried to politely free herself from his grip, but he held onto her even more.

"Oh c'mon, babe. You know you want to," he said, inching close enough that Audrey could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Looking around again, she hoped to see them looking back, or Neil returning from the restroom but no. The bar staff were busy serving other customers and the whole place was too loud for anyone to even notice the situation she was in. She had never been a shrinking violet and could easily hold her own in most situations, but this guy was just too strong and had a vice like grip on her arm.

Walking back out into the crowd, Neil headed to the bar as promised to help Audrey take the drinks back to the table. As he got closer, the first thing he noticed was a stranger with his hand firmly gripping Audrey's forearm. He saw her trying to pull back against him with no success and the next thing he felt was his blood starting to boil.

"Audrey, everything okay here?" he said with authority as he stepped up next to her. He was doing his very best to keep his composure and was glad to see the guy let go of her arm.

"Who are you? The boyfriend?" the stranger sneered looking down on Neil. He was at least a head taller than him and was clearly used to using his size to intimidate people.

Neil positioned himself in between him and Audrey. "It doesn't matter who I am, the lady is clearly not interested."

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?" he challenged, taking a step forward.

Neil could feel his temper rising into his chest and the sound of his heartbeat echoing in his ears as instinct began to kick in. He could feel Audrey behind him; one arm linking with his and the other hand on his shoulder trying to pull him away.

"Neil don't, just step away. Let's just go back to the booth" she said as quietly as she could, not wanting to cause a scene.

Neil looked up at the drunk, "We don't want trouble here, I think it's best you leave her alone." he said as both he and Audrey gathered their drinks and turned to leave.

"Whatever. She's being a bitch anyway" the stranger muttered.

Hearing that made Neil's head snap around as he turned on his heel to unleash a tirade on the drunken letch but he never got that far. The stranger lashed out and landed a clean punch on the side of Neil's head, cutting him by his eyebrow and almost knocking him to the floor. It sent the drinks he was holding crashing to the ground with glasses breaking around their feet.

Regaining his balance, Neil took a step forward and landed a perfect hook into the strangers jaw knocking him to the ground. With a look of shock on his face, the guy scrambled to his feet, turned tail and walked quickly from the bar out into the street, disappearing into the night. He clearly wasn't used to people standing up to him and thankfully, didn't know how to react.

The show was over even before most people in the bar even realized what was going on. The rest of their party however, had witnessed the final altercation and swiftly made their way over to find Neil with a bloody cut on his eyebrow and bruised knuckles on his right hand. The perpetrator was long gone and thinking quickly, Jo took charge of the situation.

"Audrey, take Neil out there to cool down." she ordered them, gesturing to an empty table in the small outdoor seating area. Jo and Matt started to attended to the smashed glasses on the bar and the floor which had been scattered when fists began to fly. Kevin began talking to the bar staff, to try and find out what happened.

Audrey grabbed Neil by his undamaged hand and led him out to the empty patio, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Louise as she followed along behind them.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," Audrey told Neil sternly as she went back inside to find some first aid supplies. He sat on the edge of a free table and looked up as Louise came to him.

"Are you okay? What on earth happened in there?" she asked with concern as she cupped his face to try and take a closer look at his injuries.

"I'm fine." he snapped, shaking his head and batting at her hands. It sounded like he still needed a bit of time to cool off so she just let it slide and stood there in silence with her hands resting on his thighs.

Audrey burst back out through the door, breaking the silence and both Neil and Louise looked around with very different expressions on their faces.

"Louise, would you mind giving us a minute?" Audrey said as she approached. "I need to talk to him".

She wanted to protest, but what for? She was worried that if she opened her mouth, her current frustrations and obvious jealousy would come out so she nodded mutely and stepped back, turning to go inside.

"We'll just be a few minutes, I'll come inside in a bit," Neil assured her. Louise sighed knowing there was nothing else for her to do but leave them to talk.

They both watched the door close as Louise walked back inside. Neil was still leaning on the table and Audrey walked up between his knees, dropping the first-aid kit and the small ice pack she was carrying a bit harder than was necessary.

"Aud, are you..."

"You didn't have to do that." Audrey interjected before Neil could even finish his sentence. Taken by surprise that Audrey seemed to be mad, he just sat there with his mouth agape.

"Why did you have to piss that guy off even more? Didn't you see how much bigger he was than you?" Audrey continued aggressively.

"Aud, he was clearly harassing you. I was just trying to get help." Neil answered finally finding his tongue.

"I could've walked out of that situation just fine without turning it turning violent!" Audrey answered back.

"I wasn't just going to let him talk to you like that, Aud." he said, his own voice rising.

"Why not? Why do you always do that? You don't have to come to my rescue like some superhero. You're not my boyfriend. You think I can't take care of myself?"

"Because I..." Neil stuttered, trying to find the right words. "You mean a lot to me, Audrey!"

At this point, both of them were yelling at each other and heads were beginning to turn at other tables.

"As a friend or otherwise, you mean a lot to me. I didn't like seeing you in that situation" he said in a quieter tone. Audrey let out a breath not knowing how to answer. The initial anger faded from her face and she gave him a look he couldn't quite put his finger on. Without saying anything more, she turned to pick up the first-aid kit she had brought and started tending to the cut on Neil's face.

"It's not that deep. You won't need stitches, just don't ask Kevin for a second opinion." Audrey said plainly. Not having anything further to say, Neil just let her get to work. He relished at the warmth of her touch as a cool December breeze blew around them. Neil watched her as she focused on cleaning the wound in a comfortable silence. He briefly thought he'd gladly take a punch in the face if it meant being this close to her.

After clearing up and dressing his wound, she didn't step back right away but looked at him directly in the eyes instead.

"You could've gotten seriously hurt back there, you know" she said, breaking the silence. There was no more anger in her eyes, just concern.

"Don't worry, I'm tougher than I look. I was young and stupid once, got in my fair share of scrapes" he said jokingly, in an attempt to lessen the tension. Audrey smiled at him as she put her hands on the sides of his face.

"Thank you for being there for me" she whispered as she leaned in pecking him on the cheek. It was that moment Neil realized he'd practically do just about anything if it was Audrey's safety and happiness on the line.

"Anytime" he whispered back, flinching as she cracked the ice pack and held it on his bruised knuckles

"Also, these are the million-dollar hands of a future cardiothoracic surgeon. You should really be taking care of them and not punching drunken idiots in bars." she joked.

"Chief of Surgery" he said with a smile.

"No chance, that one's mine" Audrey replied and they both laughed, forgotten all the yelling from just a few moments ago.

They were both quite oblivious the fact that they were being watched. Louise had found herself a seat by the window and had seen the whole interaction. She has seen everything from the screaming match, to the wound dressing and even down to the kiss on the cheek and now she was watching Audrey hold his hand a lot longer than was necessary.

Kevin and Jo had been busy inside making things right and sorting the bill for dinner, meaning one less thing for them to worry about. "You guys good? C'mon, let's get out of here." Jo called from the door, eager to leave.

"Any sign of the other guy?" Audrey asked.

"He's long gone" Kevin confirmed. "Coast is clear. Bar staff confirmed he's a regular trouble maker so doubt we'll hear anything."

"Ready to go? Aud, we'll go with Kev and Neil, you drive Louise back home?" asked Jo, confirming arrangements, trying to get their full attention.

On hearing her name, Neil head spun around to see Louise looking downcast sat alone at a table inside. She looked lost in thought. He hopped up from the table and headed straight inside.

"Ready to go home?" Neil asked, breaking her out of her trance. She didn't reply but just looked up with a thin lipped smile. She stood to leave and didn't take the hand he offered as they headed to his car.

X

Pulling up to the kerb outside Louise's apartment, Neil parked, turned off the engine and moved to unbuckle his seatbelt before feeling her hand on his.

"Not tonight" she said trying not to sound as sad as she felt. "Sorry."

"Sure" he said. "I'm sorry tonight was so..."

"It's okay" she interrupted

"It's not okay" he said, after letting out a deep breath. "I am sorry" he said looking her straight in the eye.

"I know you are" she replied. "I'll see you at work" she said before getting out of the car and walking up the steps to her front door. She didn't even kiss him goodnight.

As soon as Louise was safely inside, Neil started the engine and headed home. He was pulling into his usual parking spot when his cell buzzed. Unlocking the screen, he smiled when he saw it was a text from Audrey.

'Make sure to put ice on those bruises and keep that cut clean to avoid infection. Doctor's orders.'

'Yes Dr Lim' he text back before heading inside to try and sleep without replaying the evenings events too much.


	42. Chapter 42

They didn't see each other at the hospital over the next few days and had communicated mostly by text. He didn't want to push her, he knew she was upset after the night at the bar and they needed to talk about it, which they would when she was ready. It was seeming like a long wait.

He stood in line waiting for a coffee and when he got to the cashier, he took the plunge and ordered two. Taking ownership of the streaming hot beverages he turned and headed to the elevators but not before running into Jo as she arrived for the day.

"Hey Melendez" she laughed. "Still working on getting Louise to talk to you" she said nodding towards the cups he was holding.

"We are talking" Neil argued back quickly. "Things are just a little bit..." he paused.

"Tense? Uncomfortable? Strained?"

"Yeah, all of the above" he agreed, grimacing. "I just need to try and focus on her for a bit. I'm off to see if she'll talk to me today. "

"That's understandable. I'd best let you go before those get cold" she said. "Good luck!"

X

Poking his head sheepishly around the door to the radiology department, he could see the back of her head as she stood talking to a colleague about how full their calendar was for today. He took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway, making eye contact with her colleague who in nodded at her to turn around. She gave him a small smile which gave him the courage to walk up to the desk.

"Have you got five minutes" he asked, holding out a cup.

"Not really..." she started before being interrupted by her colleague.

"She's got five minutes" she confirmed, taking the files that Louise was holding and nodding at Neil.

He mouthed a 'thank you' as Louise passed by, but got a scowl in return. He was in real trouble.

They sat next to each other in the empty Radiology waiting room, the first appointment wasn't for another thirty minutes. Both of them were hoping that the other would speak first but it seemed that wasn't going to work so Neil took a deep breath ready to start. As soon as he opened his mouth, she decided it was her turn.

"Why did you hit that guy?" she asked so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

"He hit me first" he replied. He knew that was no excuse and he sounded had like a petulant child, he would need to elaborate but at least the conversation was started.

"That's no excuse, you know. You could have walked away with your dignity in tact? Been the bigger man?" she asked with more confidence.

"He spoke to her like she was shit on his shoe" he shrugged. "She did nothing to deserve it except tell him to leave her alone."

"Dr Lim?" she questioned.

"Yes, Audrey. You were there, you know all this?" he said feeling confused.

"Why do you think she needs your protection? Do you have some sort of superhero complex, do you think everyone needs saving?"

"That's not it" he said, shaking his head. "I'd have done exactly the same for you, or anyone else. I would probably have done it for a total stranger" he argued. "Despite what you might be thinking right now, I'm a nice guy."

"I know you are" she sighed, not sounding any happier. "That's what's so annoying. It hard to actually find a nice guy these days, and to then realise they actually love someone else... it's..."

"I'm not in love with Audrey" he said turning in his seat so he could look right in to her eyes. "We've pretty much spent the last four years living in each others pockets. Kevin and Jo too. It's hard not to feel protective and have some sort of feelings for each other" he said taking her hand as she began to shift in her seat.

"But I am not in love with Audrey Lim" he said firmly. "I promise you."

She looked at him with a small smile.

"Thank you" she said. "I needed to hear you say that."

He nodded and they sat in silence for a few minutes more while they finished their drinks.

"Want to get dinner tonight? Just us?" he asked quietly and she nodded. "Pick you up at 7?"

"Sure, see you later" she said getting up to leave. He stood quickly with her and reached out to take her empty cup, covering her hand with his and giving a little tug towards him. "You know the rules" she said with a little smile, "none of that business at work."

"Just this once?" he asked, raising his eyebrows with a smirk. She couldn't help but let out a little laugh and nodded. There were no patients around and he was pretty hard to resist.

Tugging at her hand again, she stepped forward and he lowered his head to kiss her. It was just for a few seconds but they broke apart smiling at each other.

"See you later" he said as she turned and headed back into the office.

Dumping the cups in the trash, he headed up to the locker room to change for the procedure they had scheduled for this morning, feeling a lot lighter on his feet than he had just half an hour earlier.

X

The date with Louise went well and they got themselves back to their normal in almost no time at all. He really was trying that bit harder and if they knew they wouldn't be seeing each other for a few days because of Neil's hospital commitments, they would try and get lunch or breakfast together every couple of days instead.

The next test for the couple came a few months later. Audrey was her usual excited self about the upcoming release of Iron Man 3 and had already found a gap in Neil's schedule for them to go as they always did. He had questioned her about whether it was worth it arguing that normally the more movies they made on a subject, the worse they got. By the time they got to the third, they were usually rubbish.

Audrey's counter argument was that this was technically the seventh in the instalment and they had all been brilliant so far, therefore his point had no merit. He could only laugh and agree to the trip and left it in her hands to book the tickets.

The week building up to seeing the movie had been intense. The entire staff of residents had been pushed to their limits with what had seemed like a particularly busy period of emergencies and unexpected turns. Things finally seemed to be settling a little and Wednesday was the first scheduled night off he was actually able to take in almost a fortnight.

He and Louise had been catching breakfasts and lunches where they could but some days, all they could manage was a coffee on the benches outside. She had always understood the constraints that would come with dating a resident and he was still very grateful that she never seemed to be put out when he had to change their plants for the nth time.

"So, we can actually go out Wednesday night?" Louise asked with a smile as they were about to go their separate ways again. Neil needed to go and scrub in for a scheduled surgery so their time was limited.

"I'm only off Wednesday" he started and it dawned on him that the next thing he said was going to get him into trouble. "I'm going to the movies with Audrey" he finished bracing himself for what was coming next.

"Oh" she replied simply. "What are you going to see?"

"Iron Man 3. We've watched all the others together..."

"On your only night off?" she asked.

"We booked tickets almost two weeks ago. It wasn't meant to be my only night off. I was meant to have tonight too but that's not happening."

"But it is your only night off" she repeated flatly. "Can't you cancel?"

"No" he replied just as seriously, shaking his head.

She stood quickly with the intention of storming off but he took her hand instead.

"I'm off Saturday?" he suggested.

"Fine" she replied sharply. "I've got to go, my first appointment is in ten minutes" she said sharply before turning heel and walking away.

X

He contemplated on Louise's reaction briefly before scrubbing in, at which point he focused fully on the patient in front of him. Once the procedure was complete, he couldn't help but go back to their conversation. He couldn't call it a disagreement, she'd just highlighted the facts and he'd confirmed them. Neither of them had risen their voices to each other. He wasn't sure what to call it, but he knew it wasn't good.

He was lost in his thoughts as he automatically gathered his things and got ready to write his patient notes. Is this how it's going to be with any future relationships? The work and life balance wasn't coming easy to him. Was his friendship with Audrey going to be a permanent problem? His career was the most important thing to him right now, none of this should be getting in the way of that.

He picked Louise up on Saturday just as they had arranged and went to a small local restaurant for dinner. There was a strained silence on the ride over and they hadn't even greeted each other with a kiss.

Conversation through dinner was spotty and she didn't seem to be enjoying her food at all. She spent most of the evening pushing it around her plate but seemed to be enjoying the wine that came with it very much indeed.

After picking up the bill he drove them back to her place in silence again, despite his best efforts to start a conversation. Pulling up to the kerb, he turned off the ignition and turned to face her.

"Look Lou, I'm sorry about this week..." he started. Louise gasped, faking a surprise

"So you do realise you've done something wrong? Mr Perfect isn't so perfect after all?" she asked as Neil furrowed his brows, confused at what she was trying to do here. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Neil, are you sure you and Audrey are just friends?" she asked, looking at him directly, apparently gaining courage from the bottle of wine she had consumed this evening.

"Of course, I am. Nothing is going on between us. Where is this coming from?" he said defensively, not really wanting to go through all this again.

"We've been dating for about eight months now right? Are you actually serious about this? About us?" she asked him, ignoring his question in favour of her own.

"Yes, I am. I know the hospital can take up most of my time, but I really want us to work out and I am doing my best. Is everything okay?" he answered, sitting more upright.

Again, dodging his question, "it's not the hospital taking your time I'm worried about. I want you to cut ties with Audrey to give us a chance." she said plainly. He just sat there, dumbfounded. Was Louise really asking him to cut Audrey out of his life?

"Louise, Audrey is just a friend. I promise you, there is nothing going on between us." he assured her, repeating his words from earlier.

"So, you say. But are you willing to give up this so-called friendship to give our relationship a future?" she continued.

Yes, their dates had always been a little sporadic but he thought she understood the constraints that came with being a surgical resident. They had fun when they went out and they did enjoy each other's company. Was he expecting him to ditch his friends and just see her in any spare time he had?

They sat in silence again. She was waiting for an answer, but he had a thousand thoughts running through his head at the same time. He found himself unable to imagine a life without Audrey. Yes, they'd only known each other for a few years and their friendship had been through some trials, but his life sure was a heck of a lot better with her in it.

"Are you seriously giving me an ultimatum? You're making me pick between you and Audrey?" his turn to question her.

"Yes. I think Audrey is an obstacle and our relationship can't move forward with her in the way." she explained plainly.

"How would it even be possible to cut her out of my life when we work together? There is no way I could avoid working cases with her. We're both surgical residents in the same year, at the same hospital. I won't give myself a reputation of being difficult to work with" he argued.

"Of course you can continue working with her. But no seeing her outside the hospital." she suggested.

Silence again. He then started to think of all the times they had been out together. Dinners with friends talking about ridiculous cases, the concerts, their movie trips, and even the more simple get-togethers they'd had. He couldn't imagine Audrey not being at any of them.

"I can't, I'm sorry." he finally said after finally organising his thoughts. "Audrey has been a big part of my life over the last four years and I don't want to imagine her not being in it in the future. I can't even begin to imagine how it would affect all four of us and our friendships. How could I ask our friends to choose between us? It would be like losing a limb."

"That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?" she asked, not expecting him to react this way.

"I'm sorry, Louise." he said apologetically.

He really was sorry Louise felt she had to make him choose. He really thought he wanted their relationship to work out, but if cutting Audrey out of his life is what it took to keep Louise, then he'd pick Audrey in a heartbeat.

Louise gave him a sad smile. "I know you are and I knew you'd pick her. You both clearly have feelings for each other. I see it in almost everything you two do. The way you look at each other and speak to each other. I really do hope you guys can work it all out someday." she told him sincerely. Opening the door she turned and simply said "Goodnight, Neil", not knowing what else to say.

"Night." was all Neil could mutter as she closed his door with more force than was needed.

He watched as she let herself in, ready to react if she turned to wave but she just closed the door. Sighing to himself, he started the ignition and headed home to his own dark, empty apartment.

X

**The breakup scene at the end is also written by themintjournal as part of her last chapter. Had to separate it out to fit in with the story I'd already written but all credit for that should go right there **


	43. Chapter 43

The reality of the final year of their residency hit them like a freight train. In addition to their normal hospital shifts, the first part of the year was made up of researching and applying for fellowships to start once their program finished, none of them content with the amount of time they had dedicated to yourself training this point. Dr Glassman regularly pointed out to the 'Fab Four' that they were already exceeding expectations and had built great reputations, but was full of encouragement for them to continue... hopefully right there at St Bonaventure.

Neil and Audrey squeezed in a visit to the movies to see the new Thor feature in November but apart from that, life was all business. Matt was solidly supporting Jo through all the stresses of study, making sure she was eating and resting whenever he could. He himself was now in his third year and despite the shaky start, he was flying high and storming every surgery he was given.

Kevin, Neil and Audrey were supporting each other. They'd get together whenever they could but every time they did it was all work and more work. Meeting at each others homes, they would take it turns to provide the subsistence and quickly fell into a routine. Kevin would provide something from his trusty crockpot, Audrey relied on takeout and at Neil's, they ate like royalty after he'd cooked something he insisted was simple, but tasted like a million dollars.

Kevin still saw Ju-long if he happened to come into the Emergency Room with a patient but they had drifted apart due to their busy schedules. They were still on great terms and there was no doubt that he was instrumental in the thawing of the relationship between Kevin and his parents. The card he'd made him send that Christmas was the push they all needed to get in touch.

Neil was currently sworn off women after his rather unpleasant breakup with Louise. He was pretty sure he'd get bumped to the bottom of every list when he needed something from radiology but they had managed to maintain a good professional relationship. They were civil when they saw reach other but the personal aspect of the relationship was well and truly over.

X

The fellowships they were applying for would hone their skills into specialties or sub-specialties in their chosen fields and the outcome of these applications would determine the course of the easy of their careers so were highest on the list of everyone's priorities. They spent hours trawling over websites, through publications and networking with old med school classmates to find the names they needed to know to get themselves noticed above all others. They studied faculty members, seeing if they were people they actually wanted to learn from before honing their applications to fit in with the relevant research to get themselves bumped up the lists.

Neil was focused on a cardiothoracic fellowship, over the years he had moved away from trauma which would have been his other option and immersed himself in all things cardiac. He had restricted his choices by his commitments to Gabi and apart from one spontaneous application to New York Presbyterian, all his choices were in California. His first choice would have been too stay at St Bonaventure with his friends, but this wasn't high school anymore and ultimately it was every man (or woman) for themselves.

He had secured interviews at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles and Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto already. His reputation preceding him in regards to his technical skills and his high quality patient care.

Kevin had ambitiously applied to the top ranked programs in the country with location not being considered. He would be happy to move across country if it meant he would be the best and had an interview at Mount Sinai in New York next month.

Jo was originally considering a gynaecology speciality, focusing on high risk obstetrics. But she casually announced to the group over a quick coffee one afternoon that she was no longer applying for a fellowship and would be accepting a position at St Bonaventure as a general surgeon once she'd passed her boards.

They were all shocked that she was choosing that route and pointed out would be a lot more difficult for her to get back into a speciality once she'd been out if the system for even a year. Once she'd explained her decision, they understood. She had been the only one of them who had managed to maintain a healthy personal relationship over the last two years so they knew whatever she had with Matt was special. They had discussed it together and their plan was to wait for Matt to finish his residency and then they would try and stay together. She was going to use the break in her training to pay off some of the substantial student loans that she had accrued so far.

"I can practise anywhere with what I have now" she told Audrey over a coffee one morning. "But for me it's about more than that. I love what I do, but I love Matt too and I have to find a balance" she explained after her friend had openly expressed her concerns.

Audrey had been looking into getting a position at a level one trauma centre but was being held back a little by the thought of leaving her mother alone in California. She had refused to move with Kashal for the that exact reason but now felt some sort of guilt that she would now consider it for her own career. Her mother had assured her otherwise but it still nagged at the back of her mind.

She had applied for vacancies at UCLA, LA County and Memorial Hermann in Houston to start along with the unanimous group option of St Bonaventure.

"You're Mom was as very small part of your decision to stay in California wasn't it?" Jo asked over the same cup of coffee.

"Was mostly to get free from Kashal" she replied. She never got upset or nostalgic talking about her ex husband with a little bit of Mom and little bit of other stuff."

"I think Neil would be quite offended if he heard you calling him stuff" Jo exclaimed, making Audrey snort the sip of coffee she was taking.

"Let's not start that again" she said once she'd finished coughing.

"Aud, can't start something that's never gone away" Jo teased, obviously feeling in one of 'those' moods.

"Sure thing. Little bit still married though, not sure you remember" she teased.

"Not for much longer" Jo replied in a sing song voice. "With the end of residency comes divorce papers right?"

"Yeah, but..."

"No buts, Saint Neil won't be single for long" she teased before the conversation was finished by their pagers.

"Saved by the bell" Audrey quipped as they got up and headed to the ER.

X

With applications in and interviews scheduled, their next challenge was to spend all their spare time with their noses buried in books ready to take their Boards and the gatherings continued, this time labelled as 'Study Groups'.

Passing the Boards in their chosen speciality was a voluntary qualification but something this group of over achievers would never pass on. The certification would demonstrate their knowledge in a specific medical speciality and holding this would be great for their careers. Patients often would look for these extra qualifications when choosing their doctor and would draw them to the whichever hospital they were residing at. More patients equated to more money so passing these would be a very helpful addition to their resume.

They quizzed each other, pushing and trying to find the most obscure questions they could to catch each other out until one morning and Kevin lost his temper.

"They'd never ask that! Why would you ask Mr that?!" he snapped at Jo after she asked him something obtuse and open to interpretation.

"Hang on" she snapped back. "You wanted me to try and catch you out last week. Make up your mind" she shouted as she stood suddenly and began to stuff her papers into her backpack.

"Hang on, hang on" he shouted back, grabbing his jacket and following her out of the door in a blur, leaving behind his study notes.

Neil and Audrey sat, stunned and unsure of what had just happened. Neither of them had seen their friends that cross before, let alone with each other.

"Typical" Audrey huffed, dropping her papers onto the kitchen table. "The one time I cook something and don't order takeout and they storm out! They'll never believe me!"

"I still get to eat though, right?" Neil dated to ask, not wanting to annoy her any further.

"Sure" she smiled, her shoulders dripping as the tension left her. "More for us I suppose" she shrugged getting up to head into the kitchen.

Standing to follow her, he stopped and cleared a space in all the books and papers that were scattered everywhere for them to sit and eat.

"Can I help with anything?" he asked. "Want me to set the table?"

"Set the table?" she repeated with a laugh. "It's hardly a romantic dinner for two" she scoffed.

"Aaahhh, I didn't mean...I mean...I just made some space " he stumbled.

"Relax" she grinned. "Can't seem to take a joke these days" she smiled as he shook his head and put out his hand to take the silverware she was offering. Their fingers touched briefly and they both jumped, smiling nervously before Audrey turned back to the pot she had been attending.

"Let's not start all that again" she admonished. "No time for tiptoeing around each other right now. We've got too much to do" she teased. He just smiled as he put the knives and forks in the space he had made between the piles of paper.

"So what is for dinner?" he asked.

"It's called Three Cup Chicken" she smiled. "One of the few things I can actually make. My Mom taught me, she told me it was so simple that even I couldn't mess it up."

"And was she right?" he asked as she put the plate down in front of him.

"You tell me" she smiled as she sat in the chair next to him. She watched as he speared a piece of chicken, lifted it close to his mouth and sniffed it. "Hey! Really?!"

"All I've heard from you is how you can't cook. I'm taking my life in my hands here" he laughed before putting the fork in his mouth. He paused for the most brief second before starting to chew and giving her a thumbs up. After swallowing the first piece he spoke again.

"At least if it does kill me, I'll die happy" he shrugged. "It's great, thank you. The other two don't know what they are missing" he smiled.

She didn't say anything else but smiled right back and started on her own plate.

X

Two blocks away at the nearest bus stop Jo and Kevin sat in silence. He was still pissed at her but not quite for the reason expected.

"You weren't meant to storm out so fast" he complained. "I left all my books there, I'm going to have to get Neil to bring them into the hospital."

"Well you weren't meant to get quite so shitty with me so quickly" Jo argued. "The plan was that we left just before dinner to leave them to it. You got cranky fast" she said nudging his side. "What if he didn't even stay?"

"Well he hasn't passed us" Kevin shrugged. "Maybe they're enjoying their romantic dinner for two" he chuckled.

"Are you sure we are doing the right thing?" Jo asked sounding serious.

"Absolutely" Kevin replied. "Those two aren't made to be friends. They are meant to be more, much more! And if Kashal sticks to his word, next year could be very different" he grinned raising his eyebrows.

"Very true. Let's hope we're all here to see it" she smiled. "Now let's go" she said standing as a bus approached the kerb. "I think i might be starving to death" she teased, grabbing Kevin's hand and pulling him on board. 


	44. Chapter 44

**Another epic chapter here by themintjournal... credit where it's due :-) **

X

"I cannot believe we just went through that already and our shift has technically only just started" Kevin announced as he slumped into a vacant seat in the break room, joining the other three in taking a very well deserved rest.

As soon as rounds had finished yesterday morning, they had received an urgent page that anyone and everyone who was available was to head to the Emergency Room. There had been multiple vehicle collision on the local highway that was about to cause a stream of patients to flood through those doors and they needed all hands on deck.

It had got busy quickly and they had been treating patients with all sorts of injuries for the better part of the day. They took an opportunity now to take a break after the chaos as there seemed to be a lull in new admissions and everyone from the accident was being taken care of.

"You don't need to tell me" Neil replied before pausing to take a sip of the well deserved coffee. "I was on overnight. I was just about to get out of my scrubs and clock out when we got the call. I should've been out of here hours ago."

Noticing that Audrey hadn't said much since they sat down, Jo leaned in. "You're awfully quiet. What's wrong?" she asked her friend.

"A patient of mine died" she said glumly.

"It happens Aud. I doubt it was your fault" Kevin interrupted attempting to make her feel better before even hearing why this one seemed to be bothering her so much.

"He shouldn't have" she continued. "I did all the basics, checked his ABC and he seemed fine except for some road rash and plenty of cuts and bruises. I yellow tagged him to keep him under observation until we got his scans back to make sure they were clear." she told them looking down at the table and finding her empty cup particularly interesting. "He even refused to get his wounds treated straight away, he insisted we take care of the more injured patients first, so I got a nurse to clean him up and I moved on. He died a couple hours later, he had a ruptured aneurysm, most likely from the impact of the collision. He was probably bleeding internally the whole time I was talking to him." she continued with sadness in her voice.

"Did he tell you anything that would make you think he was high risk? Did he complain about blurred vision or headaches?" Kevin asked. Audrey shook her head in response.

"Then there was nothing more you could've done. You wouldn't known anything about it until his MRI was done and the machines were backed up all day. There's no way you could've seen it coming." Neil assured her.

Jo reached for her hand, "Aud, you know how those things can be. There is just no telling when it would have ruptured even if you had known so don't do this to yourself, its not your fault." she said, trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, I know. I know all of this, but I..." Audrey sighed. "I don't know. He was so young with his whole life ahead of him. He probably had big plans then all of a sudden, he's gone." she added. It didn't look like she was coming out of this slump any time soon.

Her friends didn't know how else to respond, there were no more cliché lines they could use to try and make her feel better. This was the career they had chosen and instances like this came along with it, some would affect them more than others but they wouldn't be human if they didn't.

The heavy silence was broken as Audrey's cell phone buzzing along the table. She unlocked the screen to look at the message, dropped it back on the table and let out a sigh, slumping further into her seat.

"Everything okay?" Jo asked.

"Yeah, its just my Mom." she answered, activating the screen again for all of them to see. The picture was of her mother and some relatives enjoying a get together with a message saying 'Wish you were here!' She explained to them that her mother had gone back home on vacation for the Mid-Autumn Festival. She missed her family, especially during the holidays. Even rough, tough Audrey Lim felt a little extra homesick when she missed out on celebrating with them.

"Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse" she said with a wry smile, trying to lift up the mood.

"Hey, at least we still have our study session later. We can get pizza from your favourite place if you like?" Kevin suggested. She did crack a smile at the thought of the four of them hanging out tonight. It seemed to cheer her up a bit.

Not even a minute later, Audrey's pager went off. "I gotta head back out there" she sighed rolling her eyes and getting to her feet. "Catch up on some sleep Neil, it's going to be a tough session tonight. I've got some great questions" she told him with a smile. "I'll see you two around this afternoon" she said to Jo and Kevin before leaving.

"I feel for her" Jo said once she was out of earshot. "She's going to beat herself up all day about that guy."

"We should probably get going and see if we're can get out if here on time for a change" said Kevin as he stood up ready to leave. "We've got rounds in ten minutes... again!"

"Wait, what if we cancel the study session and pizza?" Neil said out of the blue. He had been quiet through most of the conversation and had been studying Audrey's reactions as she spoke about her Mom and her family.

"Way to kick her when she's down, Neil. Did you not just see her?" Jo admonished.

"No, I just meant maybe we could do better" he said. After explaining his idea, both Jo and Kevin were sold with no extra encouragement needed. They thought it was brilliant. He got the spare key to Audrey's apartment from Jo and told them to check their phones for further instructions before letting them to get back to work.

Neil had a long shift the night prior, already on call overnight before the RTA started to come in. He was initially looking forward to getting some well earned rest but that was before this plan of his and now, he wanted nothing more than to execute his idea. He'd had a second wind and completely forgotten that he was tired at all.

He sat there alone a little longer doing some research and learning as much as he could in the short time he had. He left messages for Jo and Kevin with the list of stuff he needed them to bring before he left the hospital and got to work.

Jo was tasked with calling restaurants in the area to find duck for them to have instead of pizza. He knew that since it was a last-minute order, it could be difficult to find so he Googled how to make the classic Nanjing style just in case. It seemed the popular choice because of it's crispy skin and tender meat so figured he couldn't go wrong. He'd sent Kevin on the hunt for accompaniments and Neil himself was in charge of the decorations and finding the best moon cakes in town.

X

With San Jose not having an official "Chinatown" he went straight from the hospital to Cupertino to see what he could pick up. He scoured stores picking up bits and pieces he thought he might need, which was no easy task as many places didn't have much stock left this late in the day.

His most important task was buying the moon cakes and after visiting a number of bakeries with no luck, he found himself in line in Kee Wah Bakery.

"Order number please?" the shop assistant called as he stepped up to the counter. He hadn't realised this was going to be a problem, he was going to have to think on his feet.

"I...ummmm...I don't have one" he started earning himself a glare. "Sorry. Do you have any? My...errrr... girlfriend is feeling a bit home sick" he started, rubbing his hand through his hair sheepishly.

The lady behind the counter turned and walked away without a word leaving him stood with a line of people behind him sighing and mumbling. A few moments later, she returned with a small packet, wrapped carefully and she offered them with a smile.

"A few spare" she said, putting them in his hands. "She's lucky" she smiled.

"Thanks so much" Neil grinned back. Leaving the bakery loaded with bags, he picked up a sandwich for lunch and headed to Audrey's apartment.

He had even planned how they were all to tell her they wouldn't be able to make it this evening. He was first. He sent her a message saying he was exhausted after the 48 hours he just spent at the hospital and wouldn't be able to concentrate. Kevin had told a fib and said he was meeting Ju-long for a drink to catch up so she couldn't be cross at that.

"Looks like it's just you and me tonight." Audrey said to Jo when she saw her at the nurse's station as she set up to finish up her charts before the end of shift.

Jo covered the receiver end of her call and whispered "Sorry, Aud. I don't think I can make it tonight either" feeling a pang of guilt at the crestfallen look on her friends face.

"What? Why? Neil and Kevin already bailed. Not you too?" Audrey questioned her.

"Sorry, I gotta go. I need to take this." Jo responded, dodging her questions and walking away quickly before she cracked and told her everything. Little did Audrey know that Jo was on a call to her fifth restaurant to try and get some food for tonight.

"Well, there goes tonight's plans." Audrey muttered to herself as she stood there alone scribbling in her patient file with gusto. She had been looking forward this evening, but now, she got to go home to her empty apartment feeling like she failed her patient, homesick, and with no food after her shift.

X

In the meantime, Neil got to work in Audrey's apartment putting away the food he already had and making a start on putting up the decorations. He started with fairy lights along the walls of the living room and added a garland lined with mini lanterns in different colours. He had also found some Chinese paper dragons in red and gold and hung them around the room. With time to spare, he set out a sheet of paper to make an attempt some Chinese calligraphy. His brush strokes were hesitant but he just hoped for the best as he had no idea exactly what he was writing. He had Googled 'Happy Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinese characters' and just copied the lines and squiggles the best he could.

Standing back to evaluate his work, he cursed as he accidentally dripped some of the black paint onto a runner Audrey had laid into the kitchen. The others were going to be there any minute so he quickly rolled it up and leaned it in the corner out of the way.

Neil was glad to see Jo and Kevin with the pieces of the puzzle he'd assigned and they rushed to get finished before Audrey got home.  
Luckily, she had been held up at the hospital a little longer than expected for a consult but didn't mind as she thought she didn't have anywhere to be. She dragged her feet up to the door of her apartment, tired after a long shift and trying to think what she might have in her fridge that she could cobble together for dinner. She was never well stocked so it would probably just be a grilled cheese sandwich.

The moment the door swung open, she almost jumped out of her skin. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a scream when Neil, Kevin, and Jo yelled "Zhongqiujie Kuaile!" at the top of their lungs. It took her a moment to realise what was going on and why her friends were in her apartment but when it hit her and she was almost overcome.

"How did you guys do all this?" Audrey asked with amazement. She knew they had all just worked a long, busy shifts, but somehow, they managed to put all this together.

"This was all N..." Kevin started.

"We figured you needed a little piece of home, so we picked some stuff up" Neil interrupted, throwing Kevin a look.

"After the day we've had, we all deserve this" Jo added, catching Neil's eye and smiling.

She walked around her apartment to marvel at the delicate decorations more closely. She ran her hand along the line of mini lanterns and smiled at the sight of the paper dragons.

"Mom gets ones just like this at home." she said, beaming at her friends. "What's up with this?" she asked, pointing at the runner rolled up in the corner suspiciously.

"I can explain." Neil started as Audrey rolled back the corner revealing a blotch of paint. He explained what he was trying to do when it happened and guided her gaze to the banner he'd propped on her bookcase. She didn't say a word, but she looked over at what he was pointing at. She remained silent with an expression on her face he couldn't quite put a finger on and it made him nervous.

"Look Aud, I'm sorry. I'll obviously get you a new one and..." he rambled until he was interrupted by a burst of laughter. "Why are you laughing?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.

Audrey was laughing so hard she had trouble forming the words she needed. "Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate you trying, but that looks like a child did it." she answered, in between laughs. Neil let out an sigh of relief that it was nothing worse and Kevin and Jo joined in the laughter.

Her small dinner table was groaning under the weight of the feast they had thrown together. Jo had finally found a restaurant to help them on her thirteenth call and the duck took centre stage. Kevin had provided a wonderful fruit platter with a large watermelon in its centre. Unfortunately, he received the same amount of teasing as Neil for his attempt at carving it into a lotus flower arguing that his surgery skills were not transferable to fresh produce.

"How on earth did you manage to get those" she said, spotting the small packet holding the ornate Moon Cakes.

"There was a bit of a queue" Neil shrugged. "I'm sure I got at cursed at in Mandarin for holding up the line because I hadn't ordered ahead. I'm pretty sure my life will be filled with bad luck for the next 5 years" he told them with a laugh.

X

"One more thing" Neil announced as he stood up after dinner. He went to a small pile of bags in the corner of the room and took out some traditional lanterns.

"You didn't?! These are great!" Audrey gasped as she excitedly began to unfold each one. She explained to them what they are for and how they worked.

"So basically, we just write our wishes on them then light them and they float away?" Neil confirmed.

"Yeah. And there's a park a couple blocks away, we could release them there" Audrey suggested.

"Aww c'mon, do we really have to? I ate so much I don't even think I can get off the couch!" Kevin countered.

"All the more reason" Jo argued, nudging him gently. "Time to walk off all that delicious food."

"It's also tradition to have a walk at night to enjoy the moon light." Audrey encouraged.

They wrote on their lanterns before leaving and after a short walk to the park they found a good spot, lit each of them in turn and sat down on the grass to watch them float away.

Scribbled on Kevin's lantern was the wish that his relationship with his parents would continue to grow; Jo wrote that she wanted more OR time and Audrey wished for them to ace the upcoming boards. Neil, being Mr Nice Guy wished that his friends wishes would come true and added as an afterthought the wish for him to become Chief of Surgery one day which earned him plenty of ribbing from the others.

"Have I ever told you guys about why we celebrate?" Audrey asked, breaking the silence as they leaned back watching the lanterns getting smaller and smaller as they drifted away.

"Don't think so." Jo answered.

"Let's hear it." Kevin requested.

"Well, there are different variations of it, but my favourite is the one my dad would tell me when I was little." Audrey explained. "In ancient times, there were 10 suns in the sky and it caused extreme heat making people's lives very difficult. It would be way too hot outside and crops died because they would just dry up. Hearing the people complaining, this guy named Hou Yi decided to do something about it, think Hercules and you're on the right lines" she said to give them a comparison.

"He had such great strength, he decided was going to shoot down the 9 other suns, leaving one which was enough to give what they needed. The Gods were so happy with Hou Yi that they decided to give him an elixir that would make him a God too. He hid it away instead of taking it because he wanted to stay with the love of his life on earth but someone else heard about it and wanted to take it for themselves. He was going to kill the couple to steal the elixir and seeing that his true love was in danger, he made her drink it turning her into a God instead. Hou Yi defeated his challenger and his love became the goddess of the moon. It is said that every full moon was when they would meet and be with each other even just for a while."

Neil had sat forward and was watching Audrey intently as she relayed the story. She didn't normally share anything so personal and had never spoken about her father before. He was glad to see this side of her.

"I would have just taken the elixir for myself." Kevin said after pondering on the story.

"What? Why?" Jo questioned.

"I mean, I'm just saying, if you have the opportunity to become a God, why not take it?" Kevin reasoned.

"So, you mean to say you wouldn't be willing to sacrifice everything for your one true love?" Jo asked.

"I don't know" he shrugged and mumbled "Maybe once I fall in love I'll change my mind. "

"I would" Neil said after a few seconds, starting stoically ahead and they all sat in silence a few minutes longer until their lanterns were tiny specks in the distance.

"Can we go now" Kevin said breaking the silence and moving to get up. "This isn't the most comfortable seat in the house."

Neil stood and offered his hand to Audrey which she took and he pulled her gently to her feet. He was surprised when she didn't let go but linked their fingers instead for the walk back to her apartment.

"That was a beautiful story." Neil said.

"It's one of my absolute favourites. My dad would tell me the story before bedtime after a whole day of celebrating. I was always too buzzed to get to sleep" she smiled softly.

"So, what else is there to learn about this festival?" Jo asked trying to act natural as she and Kevin looked at each other with the widest grins on their faces when they saw Audrey and Neil holding hands as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Audrey proceeded to tell them more about the cultural Mid-Autumn traditions, not letting go of his hand until they reached her apartment and she had to fish in her pockets for her keys. They helped her clear up a little before sitting around the living room to talk a little longer over a bottle of wine. Kevin received a call to confirm his cab was outside and as they stood to leave, they noticed Neil, head back and fast asleep on the couch.

"Should we wake him up?" Audrey asked.

"He's been awake for two days, could just let him sleep? Wouldn't be a problem, would it?" Kevin suggested.

"Surely not" Jo teased. "You guys are just friends, right?"

"Of course" Audrey responded without hesitation.

After saying their goodbyes at the door, Audrey closed it gently and turned to look at him. After a long shift at the hospital and a day of preparations for her surprise, he needed a good sleep. She quietly grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and draped it over him, careful not to disturb him too much.

"Night, Neil" she said in the quietest whisper and smiled as he stirred to get himself more comfortable. She turned out the lights and left a small lamp on for him before disappearing to her bedroom. She would have no trouble sleeping soundly tonight.

X

It was another couple of days until they could reschedule their study group. The Mid-Autumn surprise had been a huge success, but it wasn't an excuse to slack off preparing for their upcoming exams.

"We're still on for tonight, right?" Kevin asked the group before they dispersed to their own patients as they had just finished rounds.

"Well, unless you guys have any more surprises up your sleeves, then we are." Audrey joked.

"Okay then, my place after work." Jo confirmed.

"Sure" Neil added distractedly as they disbanded. He was already fully focused on his next patient and didn't even notice as the group disbanded.

Later that evening, the four of them were sat in Jo's living room. They had just gone through extensive questions on protocols and procedures for a number of cases and had found themselves comfortable spots after gorging on a large pizza. Kevin was sprawled across the floor reading them his own test questions for key terms while Jo was sat on the ottoman with her foot on the side table, painting her toenails. Neil and Audrey shared the couch, she sat sideways with her legs crossed at the ankles rested just next to Neil's lap and he was unconsciously, teasing the hem of her pants near her ankle with his fingertips while they all listened to Kevin's questions and answered them if they could.

"What is Conn's Syndrome?" Kevin asked them.

"Ooh... wait... I know this." Jo responded trying to remember. "Hypercortilis.. cortisolism?" she answered, a little unsure.

"No, no, no. Primary hyper… aldosteronism." Neil corrected.

"Neil is right." Kevin verified. "What is actinic keratosis?" he continued.

"Actinic keratosis is a premalignant lesion." Jo said, answering correctly this time.

Neil noticed that Audrey hadn't answered any questions in a while and was currently preoccupied reading about an unusual case study from their review files.

"Hey" he said, trying to get her attention. She didn't respond. "Hey" he called again a little louder, nudging her leg a little.

"Yeah?" she finally answered.

"You're supposed to answer too, you know. How am I meant to beat you if you're not even playing" he said sarcastically.

"Just keep going, I'm almost done." she replied, her eyes still glued on the file.

"What is that anyway?" Neil asked as he grabbed the papers from her hand.

"Hey, I was reading that!" Audrey scolded, moving to get them back, but Neil was quick to stretch them out in the opposite direction away from her. Audrey shifted from her seat, reaching out her hand for the papers. The more she tried to stretch for them, the further away he held them and he only stopped when she almost lost her balance, stabilising herself on his shoulder. Her put his hand out to catch her, planting it firmly on her hip and holding her steady. Close, but steady. Everything went quiet as they realised just how close they were and they just stopped for a moment.

"I need to get a drink." Audrey announced after a few seconds, excusing herself from the situation.

"I need one too!" Kevin seconded as he got up and followed her to the kitchen.

"Are you okay? he asked and she nodded the affirmative. "So, you and Neil?" he continued bravely.

"What about us?" she asked innocently. She knew he had been dying to ask since their gathering last week. Kevin just rolled his eyes at her reply. "I don't know. It seems that feelings are a little less suppressed than usual?" she shrugged casually.

But before Kevin could respond, they heard Jo from the living room. "All done! Now, who's next?" she announced, referring to her painted toenails. Scanning the room, Neil was the only one in sight. She had a sly grin on her face and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Jo, no." Neil warned. Ignoring him, she got up from her seat, so Neil made for the door first.

"Oh c'mon, please. I'm bored, we've been studying for hours." she pleaded as she followed him.

"No, I'm not getting my toenails painted." he admonished, purposely positioning himself behind Audrey. Jo wasn't backing down, so Neil grabbed her by the waist to manoeuvre her in between them using her body as a human shield.

"Ugh, fine. You're no fun." she complained as she stalked back to the living room.

"I think you're good for now." said Audrey, looking at him over her shoulder.

"That was a close one, thanks." he replied, giving her waist a little squeeze before letting go and followed Jo back to the living room.

Kevin had a smirk on his face when she glanced at him as she got a couple of sodas from the fridge.

"What?" she questioned.

"It's happening. It's finally happening. After all these years, it's finally here." Kevin said grinning at her.

"We'll nothing's happened yet, don't get too excited. I'm not starting anything while I'm still married, that hasn't changed. But maybe it's not '_not'_ happening." she responded with a smile as she gave him his drink and walked back to the living room and leaving her friend hopeful for what was in store for her and Neil.


	45. Chapter 45

Interviews were attended by the remaining three at various locations across the county. Despite Neil and Audrey deciding to try and stay in California, they both flew off to New York and Texas just to be sure. Dr Glassman had encouraged them to do so and reminded them that despite its initial appearance, the medical community was quite small particularly when you started looking at specialties.

Their exams were finished and they were waiting patiently for results so there was finally time to relax a little, take their foot off the gas if only for just a moment. Any free time they were lucky to have was once again, their own and they certainly made up for any lost time.

With the intention of fully enjoying this last month as much as possible, they had been well prepared and booked tickets to Kings of Leon in the March much to Audrey's delight and travelled to San Francisco to see Florence and the Machine on an overnight trip which was an absolute blast. They had teased Neil for a couple of weeks after booking the tickets about staying at his folks house, until he eventually checked in with them to find they had relatives staying that entire week. Highly amused that their little ruse had gone that far, they let him in on the joke and booked hotel rooms instead.

Neil and Audrey squeezed in as many movies as they could from The Amazing Superman to X Men in their continuing series of 'non-dates' and their four weeks of relative freedom had gone in the blink of an eye.

X

"Kashal sent divorce papers" Audrey blurted out one April morning before Kevin had even managed to unload his breakfast tray to join her at her table.

"Wow" he replied. "A man of his word I suppose?"

"Helped along by the fact he's met someone else" she scoffed. "He wants to move on so I guess that's it. We're finally done."

"Wow" was all he could think of and for a few moments they sat in silence. "Are you going to tell Neil?" Kevin asked eventually.

"No" she replied. "He doesn't need to know right now, it's tense enough waiting for the Board results. I don't want to distract him from what's important."

"But..." Kevin started in an attempt to argue his case before being quickly shut down by a glare from Audrey. "Okay, okay" he said holding his hand up in surrender. "Sorry."

They ate their lunch for the next few moments in silence until Kevin let out a chuckle.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"If you sign them by next week" he said smirking at her. "You're little jolly to see Captain Fantastic will actually be a date" he teased with a chuckle.

"Captain America" Audrey corrected. "And no, I'm still not telling him" she frowned.

"Your choice" he replied shaking his head.

"Yes it is" she confirmed before finishing the last of her drink and getting up to clear her tray

"Though I think m'lady doth protest too much" he said in the worst English accent she had ever heard and she could help but laugh at her friend.

X

The night of celebrations had started with a nice civilised dinner which had become an end of year tradition for the four friends. However, this time, the news that Board certification was achieved all round, and they would all stay together at St Bonaventure for at least one more year had encouraged them to carry on with the party afterwards.

They had smashed all the tests and trials they'd been given out of the park over the last five years and they were no longer residents. Starting next week they would be Fellows and Board Certified surgeons. The hospital had jumped at the chance to keep this unique group together, seeing how much of an asset they would be and guided by their mentor Dr Glassman.

They had found a bar nearby and started with a few shots. This had quickly turned into them squashed in with dozens of other people on a sweaty dancefloor. The loud and heavy beats had them bouncing along with the crowd and they laughed as Neil grabbed Jo and started to spin her around almost lifting her off her feet. They danced as a pair for a good few songs while Kev and Audrey went back to their table to catch their breath.

They sat in a comfortable silence watching their friends and laughing out loud as every now and then, Neil would perform some dramatic move and Jo would just would just hang on to him for dear life, laughing as he spun her around as if she was made of feathers.

"You neeeeeeed to dance with Neil" Jo said as she flopped down in the booth next to Audrey, out of breath and grabbing her drink for a long draw. "Tell me why we've never come to a Latin bar before? He has got some serious moves!"

"No way, we haven't done that in ages" she replied. "I don't think it'd go very well now, would it" she laughed at her friend.

"Aaahhh, just do it. Let your hair down!" Jo argued. "Go on!"

"Are you going to tell him Kashal sent over divorce papers?" Kevin asked giving her a nudge and a wink.

"I don't think so. It's all a bit presumptuous isn't it?" she answered, shaking her head. She was about to say something else when she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling gently.

"Come on, your turn" Neil shouted in Audrey's ear. He had appeared the other side of her without her noticing, and she jumped a little. "Come on, let's go" he repeated as he grabbed her hand.

She looked back over her shoulder at the other two, who just shrugged. Had he heard them? Probably not, it was really loud, she assured herself so after protesting a little more, she took his hand and followed him into the crowd.

"I've already told him" Jo shouted to Kevin as they watched their friends from the booth. "I told him about the papers this afternoon."

"You didn't" he admonished. "She's going to kill you!"

"Only if it goes wrong" she smiled and shrugged casually, taking a sip of her drinking and looking at Kevin with a grin.

Neil pulled her out into the middle of the pulsing dancefloor and turned to face her. He shifted his grip and interlaced their fingers, holding her at a respectable distance as they began to move with the music. It had been a while since they'd danced together especially as he'd been the resident on call for the last Gala.

They were being bumped and pushed by the crowd and couldn't help but move closer to each other. As they did so, just holding hands became uncomfortable so Neil boldly took a chance and put one arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Their other hands, fingers still linked, were tucked in against his chest.

"Where'd you learn to dance like this?" Audrey shouted.

Neil laughed.

"Dance classes as a little kid, and then a misspent youth" he said, quieter than her because he dared to get closer. She felt his breath against her ear as he spoke and it sent a shiver down her spine. There was no doubt that he felt it too because she could feel him smiling against her neck.

The next thing she felt was a light brush of his lips, just beneath her ear and her eyes fluttered closed. She let his arms carry her with the music and when she opened them again they were nose to nose.

He gave a smile as he lifted her hand to the back of his neck. He took his time running his fingers back down her arm, then down her side to join his other hand at her hip and suddenly their foreheads were touching. It had all happened in a blur and his courage was no doubt fuelled by the amount of alcohol they had consumed so far this evening.

The beats of the music seemed to fade away as he kissed her. Just quickly at first to make sure he wasn't overstepping but when she didn't object, he kissed her again, and again.

"I assume you're going to be signing those papers?" he asked the next time he stopped. She nodded mutely and he kissed her again.

Their kisses deepened and the next thing he really remembered was pressing her body hard against the wall somewhere out back past the dance floor. One of her hands was buried in his hair holding him in place and her other hand seemed to be everywhere all at once.

His hands were holding her hips as still as he could as she moved against him in an attempt to get closer, despite the fact they were already touching from head to toe. He wrenched his lips from hers and kissed down her neck to her collarbone which elicited an overwhelmingly positive response. He lifted his head, recaptured her lips and found her mouth warm and welcoming as their tongues danced back and forth.

She pushed at his shoulders and broke the kiss.  
"Let's go to my place" she said breathlessly. "Let's finally get this thing out of our systems."

With those words, he pulled back and looked at her as if a switch had gone off. He looked at her, his eyes black with emotion, hers confused and both their chests heaving with exertion. He shook his head as if trying to remove actual thoughts from his mind.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this" he said untangling himself from her and stepping back.

She opened her mouth to reply, but he was gone before she could form the words.

He left her standing there, bewildered, as he made his way back across the dancefloor through the heaving bodies. He stopped at their booth to get his jacket and leaned in closely to speak to Jo.

"She's had too much to drink, you should take her home" her told her.

"Why can't you do it" Jo challenged.

"I can't" he started. "It's not a good idea. Tell her I'm sorry" he said as he turned on his heel and headed to the door.

Moments later she appeared, looking slightly dishevelled and very confused.

"Where is Neil?" she asked.

"He's gone" Jo replied. "What just happened?"

Audrey sat down heavily with a sigh.

"I think I messed up" she said, picking up her glass and taking a very long drink. 


	46. Chapter 46

"It's an amazing opportunity for you Dr Melendez" Dr Glassman said leaning forward on his elbows to try and express the gravity of what was being asked.

This was not what Neil had thought it would be when he received the meeting request the week before. He had assumed it was just a formality heading into his fellowship and was certainly not expecting this turn of events.

"They are developing a pioneering new technique and we have a foot in the door at ground level" Glassman said enthusiastically. "This would look great on your resume, you could surely publish on it and it definitely won't hurt you're career path here. If you decided to stay, that is."

"Why me?" he asked, regretting the question the moment it had left his lips.

"It wasn't you originally" Glassman shaking his head, surprised that the ambitious young man hadn't just grabbed the opportunity and run with it. "It was Dr Lopez but something personal has come up and now it's you. Is it a problem?"

"No Sir" he replied quickly. "No problem at all."

"Glad to hear it. You leave on Thursday" Dr Glassman said casually. "Finish up your shift and take until then to get yourself packed and organised, we'll redistribute your caseload. There is a car booked to drive you to the airport from here in two days time."

"Thank you Dr Glassman" he said rising from his seat and putting out his hand.

"Make the very best of this Neil. It's a fantastic opportunity and will be very good for you and St Bonaventure."

"No pressure then" he smiled.

"No pressure" Dr Glassman replied. "Embrace it, but most importantly, enjoy."

X

"But you're meant to start your fellowship?" Jo said looking confused as they sat opposite each other eating their lunch a couple of hours later. "Why are they sending you?"

"Something personal came up for Dr Lopez so they asked me" he replied as Jo nodded her understanding. "Dr Glassman has assured me my fellowship is still mine and that this is nothing but a good thing."

"So when do you leave?" she asked.

"Thursday. I've got to get my stuff together and visit Gabi, then it's a car from here in the morning" he said.

"That's not much time" she said, sounding surprised. "What are you going to do with your apartment?"

"Try and sublet it I suppose" he replied. "I've not even thought about that yet. Two days isn't very long to get things squared away. "

"You could let me and Matt move in?" she suggested, not sure how he would react. "We've been thinking of getting somewhere together, saves us all looking?"

"That would be great" Neil agreed, feeling relieved and a smile spreading across his face. "I'm not sure I'd want a stranger moving in, especially as I won't have time to pack away all my stuff. You guys would be perfect. Thank you."

"Trust me, not a problem, it'll be a good trial run for us to check we're past the 'sleepover' stage. It'll save us so much time and fuss and you know we'll look after the place" she said.

"Are you going to see Audrey before you go?" Jo ventured after a short pause.

"Not intentionally" he sighed. "I'm still...I don't know" he said shaking his head still feeling the after effects of the recent night at the bar.

"It's six months in London, Neil. You should speak to her before you go. You need to talk."

"About what in particular? How she seemed to think this was all about sex and nothing more this whole time?" he hissed, finally expressing how agitated he was by the whole thing, but trying to keep his voice lowered in the busy canteen.

"You know what she's like? She probably doesn't understand how someone could think of her like that" Jo replied.

"I'm sorry, after all this time she really still thinks that? I don't think I can do this again? I don't understand why she thinks she's so unlovable and I'm not going to let her hurt me. Maybe it's a good thing that I'm going. Give us some space from each other."

"Come on Neil, she would never hurt you on purpose, you know that. And look how much she has changed since we first met. Miss 'I'm not here to make friends' has done the exact opposite."

"And this is the second time we've come close to something and she's been the catalyst in it gong in totally the opposite direction. First Washington, now this. If I see her, I'm sure we'll talk. That will have to do" he sighed, standing to leave and picking up his plate. That was the end of that conversation.

X

Neil was both nervous and excited about heading to work at Guys and St Thomas Hospital in London for the next six months. They were developing a new procedure to be known as PEARS (personalised external aortic root support) and the cardiothoracic world was very excited about it. The theory was to fit a personalised mesh sleeve over an enlarged aorta caused by disease, supporting it so it does not grow any bigger and is then unlikely to rupture.

The hospital was in their last stage of testing and with the influx of capital offered by St Bonaventure, they were advancing at an amazing pace. The six month period would see Neil taking part in the first procedure on a young lady called Lily Hennesford.

Lily, a medical student herself, had been diagnosed at birth with Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. The end procedure would prevent a potentially fatal complication from the condition which affects people who are particularly tall. The aorta can stretch and gradually enlarge, risking a life threatening rupture. If the aorta grows to a certain size, patients require open-heart surgery to replace or repair the vessel. Lily's scans showed that her aorta had been steadily growing and was approaching the size that would usually require mechanical valve replacement and then need to take the blood-thinning drug warfarin for life.

Unlike conventional surgery, PEARS was intended to be carried out while the heart is beating so a heart-lung bypass machine would not be needed, reducing the risk of stroke. The procedure was going to be quicker overall and there was then less chance of needing to replace the valve on the affected part of the aorta. She would then be able to live her life without worrying about her aorta getting bigger, or the side effects of taking warfarin.

Neil would earn himself some serious clout at St Bonaventure being a pioneer of this technique and it could secure his future there for the foreseeable future.

X

He hadn't been actively avoiding Audrey since that night at the bar, but he certainly hadn't gone looking for her to talk about what had happened. When Jo had told him about the divorce papers the afternoon before they'd gone out, he'd suddenly felt nervous and she found it extremely amusing that the ever confidant Neil Melendez was lost for words.

When Jo had explained Audrey's reasons for not telling him herself, he'd initially felt disappointed. Disappointed that she couldn't tell that he still had feelings and that she felt it would be presumptuous to just announce that she was 'available'.

He'd thought of nothing else for the rest of the day and when they had finally met for dinner in a nice steak house in town, he tried his hardest to not make it obvious that he had something on his mind.

The drinks had flowed liberally and through the course of the evening his confidence had grown, no doubt fuelled by alcohol. When he'd pulled her away to dance, he had been surprised at how easily she followed him and feeling bold, he'd kissed her. He'd half expected a clip around the ear for his efforts, but when she reciprocated he was lost.

But then came the words that cut him like a ten-blade.

"Let's get this thing out of our systems" stopped him in his tracks and snapped him back to reality. It took every ounce of his self control to pull himself away and the look he saw reflected in her eyes nearly broke him.

He felt sucker punched that she thought it was a one time thing and nothing more. Leaving her standing there was the hardest thing he'd ever done but he was not going to take advantage of their drunken state. They had to be on the same page or this was never going to work.

He had dwelled on it for the days that followed and when they inevitable crossed paths in the hospital during their shifts, he was his usual self but he found Audrey was a little withdrawn.

X

The news that he was leaving knocked the wind right out of her sails. She'd heard it through the hospital grapevine that he'd been chosen to go to London for a prestigious research placement and she felt a mixture of disappointment and pride. She was conflicted. She wanted to speak to him, but didn't know what to say. She was more about action than words but she didn't think that would work this time around.

She didn't actually see him until the Thursday morning that he was due to leave. He was sat outside on a bench with his case at his feet waiting for the car to the airport. She sat herself down without invitation and blurted out "I'm sorry."

He turned to look at her, the look on his face totally unreadable to her for the first time since she'd know him. The way he wore his heart on his sleeve was one of the things that had drawn her to him in the first place.

"I'm sorry" he replied eventually.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry I walked out" he said quietly. "It was just... what you said was..."

"It was wrong" she agreed. "It just came out in the spur of the moment. I didn't really mean it like that."

"How did you mean it Aud?"

She shrugged but no words came.

"Then I'm sorry" he repeated, looking disappointed. "I'm sorry that I got so used to the way we were, hanging out and going to movies that I didn't make you feel more wanted."

"I wish I knew what to say to you" she replied, sitting back heavily and sighing. "But I don't. What if this thing we've buried for years was just physical? What if we go there and lose what we have?"

It was his turn to be quiet. He didn't want to say what was coming next, but he wasn't sure where else this could go.

"We need some space, that's for sure" he started, not able to look at her to see her reaction fearing it would mirror his own. "Maybe this trip is a blessing in disguise. I want us to be friends, but I don't think that I can do that with this 'thing' bubbling beneath the surface."

She nodded mutely.

"Do you actually agree, or do you not know what to say" he said, a little frustrated by the one sided conversation.

"I agree" she whispered. "I'd rather have you as a friend than nothing at all."

"Good, okay. That's decided then" he replied sounding more harsh than he intended and feeling a pang of guilty when she grimaced at his words. "Sorry."

"You have to stop saying that" she smiled, bravely reaching out and putting her hand on his as it rested on his thigh. "We're both sorry and we both know it."

They sat a few minutes longer in silence and waited for Neil's car. When it pulled up to the kerb, their moment was over as he stood to give the driver his bags.

Turning back to face her he boldly stepped forward and hugged her, feeling relieved when she felt her tighten her arms around him, hugging him back. As they parted, he kissed her cheek lightly and smiled softly.

"Let me know when you land" she said with a smile. "That's what friend do right?"

"I will" he replied, letting himself into the car. He watched her through the tinted glass as they pulled away to merge with tar traffic. She waited until the car was almost out of sight before turning to go back inside.

'It's going to be a long six months' they both thought to themselves as they went their separate ways. 


	47. Chapter 47

The mood was subdued as they sat with a coffee late that Friday morning on a quick break. The conversation was slow and sluggish and all they really wanted to do was to ask Audrey if she'd seen him before he left but couldn't quite figure out how to bring it up.

Their dilemma was solved when their cell phones simultaneously went off and Jo snatched hers up off the table while the others dug theirs out of their pockets.

"He's landed" Jo announced. For a moment, Audrey felt deflated that she was just another name on a group message but scolded herself quickly that she was expecting too much.

"Did you two catch up before he left?" Kevin braved, now the topic had come up indirectly.

She nodded but didn't speak.

"Did you sort things out?" he continued, a selfish part of him hoping that Audrey wasn't going to be moping around for the next six months.

"We've agreed to take some time to regroup, then we'll see if we can be friends when he gets back" she said quite plainly with no expression.

"Well that's the answer you think we want to hear" Jo chipped in. "What's really going on Aud" she asked imploring.

"I don't know" she said shaking her head. "I feel...I feel this isn't a conversation that I want to have here" she said looking around pointedly.

"Okay" Jo agreed. "But we're coming over tonight and we'll bring wine" she said and a small smile flashed briefly over Audrey's face.

X

At London Heathrow he walked out into Arrivals to see his name printed on a card held by an older man who ordinarily wouldn't have stood out in the crowd. He seemed friendly enough and took Neils bag from him despite his protestations that he could manage quite well himself.

The car was a typical taxi and the driver happily passed the time of day with him as they sat in traffic until they pulled up outside a small local hotel. The original plan was for Dr Lopez to lodge in a house share but when she had to withdraw, the room was quickly rented to another member of staff in the highly competitive housing market. There hadn't been time to find something else for him yet so he would be staying in a local Ibis until they did.

Thanking his driver, he headed to check in and was looking forward to getting to his room after a long day of travelling. Opening the door, he found himself faced with a bland, budget room with no homely feeling whatsoever. Letting out a big sigh, he stepped inside and dropped his case at the foot of the bed. Pulling out his cell he sent a quick message before closing his eyes and let sleep take him.

X

They descended on Audreys apartment later that evening bearing gifts of food and wine, knowing exactly how to endear themselves to her. Inviting them in, they made themselves quite at home as usual tucking into their dinner and opening their first bottle.

"What time is it over there now?" Jo asked, looking to start the conversation they needed to have.

"Three in the morning" Audrey replied after checking her watch. "We're eight hours behind here."

"When does he actually start at the hospital?"

"I've no idea" she replied feeling a pang of guilt. "We didn't have time to get to that."

"What did you guys actually talk about?" Kevin asked. "We don't want to gossip Aud, but we want to help. We want you to be happy and right now you most certainly are not."

"We mostly just apologised to each other" she said sounding flat. "And then spent time telling each other not to apologise."

"Sound about right" Jo said moving to sit next to her. "This isn't an intervention okay, but you have to hear us out Aud. Please."

She rolled her eyes but nodded.

"We've known you a few years now but we certainly don't know everything about you. You obviously feel you have too many scars and broken bits to be loved but that's not true" Jo said holding her gaze. "You seem to worry deep down that you're unlovable or unworthy of having a healthy relationship, but it is a lie. No one is ever too broken to be loved, especially not you. You are one of the most amazing people I know."

"You should have been a shrink Jo, you seem to have missed your vocation" Audrey sniped before sipping at her drink. "Are you going to suggest therapy next?"

"Would it be a bad thing? Our could be a deeper issue, maybe it's to do with your dad" Kevin suggested, they weren't going to give up on this easily. "Some people with childhood trauma, feel guilt when they start feeling better and doing well for themselves. They feel that they don't deserve to heal after everything they've just been through, but you do. You've worked your ass off to get where you are and you have so much further to go. Your Mom is insanely proud and you need to be proud of yourself too."

"Do you guys actually like me?" Audrey asked bluntly, not responding directly to either one of them. "The only real relationship I've had was with Kashal and I'm quite sure that the he never really loved me" she said quietly. "I've always struggled to feel accepted by people. All through school and college it seemed like I had plenty of friends, but I secretly felt that nobody actually liked me."

"We love you" Kevin replied. "We all love you but you really need to learn to love yourself. Maybe even liking yourself sounds challenging right now but don't worry your pretty little head about it, we're going to be right here."

"We're not going anywhere" Jo continued. "We're going to teach you how to love yourself and we'll remind you during the hard days that you are absolutely, no doubt, worth loving."

She smiled at them both with tears in her eyes but looking determined that she wasn't going to let them fall.

"Don't bite my head off, but what if you started dating other people? Would that help you see that people are interested in you" Jo suggested, really not sure how this change in direction was going to go.

"Maybe" she shrugged. "But what I'd nobody is interested? What if continually get ditched after a first date?"

"Stop looking for a reason to reject people before you've even met them!" Kevin exclaimed. "You're impossible" he laughed, taking a large gulp from his glass and getting up to get a refill.

Bringing the bottle back with him, he topped up all their glasses and the topic of conversation changed to how the first few days of their new roles were going and interesting events from the hospital. The wine flowed a little more and eventually, they came back around to Audrey and Kevin felt the need to share a little more.

"I have news for you Audrey Lim" he slurred. "You're a lovable human being. Your mistakes don't mean that you're broken they just mean that you're human in royally messing up sometimes. Any guy worth your time will hold space for the good parts of you as well as the messy parts."

"That was surprisingly eloquent considering the amount of wine you've put away" Jo laughed. "I think it's about time I took you home."

"You're really not my type Ms Walker" He replied, laughing loudly at his own joke. "You know Neil finished things with Louise for you" he blurted at Audrey as they pulled him to his feet.

"What?!"

"Kevin!"

"She told him that if he wanted to keep seeing her, he wasn't allowed to hang out with you anymore" he rambled. "He told her to forget it."

She didn't know what to say so she stayed quiet as they helped him into his jacket and towards the door but he continued to share his little secrets.

"By all accounts she wasn't surprised by his choice. Everyone can see what you two are denying and it's driving us crazy!"

"Our car is here, come on" Jo butted in, pulling at his arm and guiding him out into the hall. Leaning him against a wall for a moment, she went back to embrace Audrey and whispered to her.

"Drunk Kevin can be an ass, but he generally tells the truth" she whispered so he didn't overhear. "We'll be here for you whichever way you need us."

"Thank you" she smiled. "Let me know when you're home" she said, wanting some time herself before bed to think about the truths her friends had shared tonight.

Clearing up the glasses and dishes that had been scattered around her living room, she sat down heavily with a glass of water. Picking up her cell phone, she scrolled to his name and let her finger hover over it. She almost jumped out of her skin as it went off in her hand and for a brief moment, she thought she had accidentally pressed the call button. Once her heart had stopped hammering in her chest, she saw it was just a text. Just for her.

Opening the message, she smiled as she imagined him speaking the words on the screen.

'Worst sleep ever! Starting at hospital on Monday. Only got 2 days to get over this jetlag. Wish me luck!'

She typed a reply but paused before hitting send. Pressing the back button, she deleted it all deciding she would reply in the morning when she was sober and thinking more clearly. She picked herself up of the couch and headed to bed, she hadn't slept properly since she found out he was leaving but after this evenings heart to heart she wouldn't have any problems tonight.

As she lay waiting for sleep to come, she found herself thinking about Jo's suggestion. Maybe she would start dating, taking things slowly. Maybe if she stayed to figure some of this stuff out, they would do better when he got back.

With those thoughts swimming around her head, she drifted off to sleep with a small smile on her face thinking of what could be.

X

The week that followed was to brought yet more change and they were all very curious when they were all called to a meeting in the conference room.

"I'd like you all to extend your usual warm welcome to Dr Marcus Andrews. He is our new Plastic Surgery Attending joining us from Johns Hopkins, bringing with him a great wealth of experience and skills" Dr Glassman announced to the room.

Applause rippled around but the three friends looked at him with blank faces. They didn't want to welcome this guy, the guy who would be competing with Kevin for theatre time and most importantly, funding. The hospital had done a recent review and decided that plastic surgery was a good investment for them and they were actively increasing the size of the department, hence the addition of Dr Andrews.

Kevin was gracious about it all, as expected but they knew deep down he was worried. Dr Andrews came with a reputation of being a tough, no nonsense, whatever it takes kind of guy. He was going to need to step up his game and make sure some of the spotlight currently shining on Dr Andrews was redirected to him or his future at St Bonaventure could be on the line.


	48. Chapter 48

"He's still sat there" the man whispered looking through the glass panelled door into the almost deserted office.

"Maybe he isn't very sociable" she replied with a shrug. "You know what these academic types can be like."

"These academics? We are some of these academics you idiot" he said incredulously. "He seems quite normal when you see him around the hospital?"

"It's not normal to be sitting in work at 8 o'clock on a Friday night if you're not on the schedule!"

"True" he replied. "Should we go and say hi?"

Before she could answer him their decision was made for them. He lifted his head and looked straight at them, looking a little confused as to why they would be stood there watching him work. He raised his hand in a greeting.

"Ah well" he shrugged. "Not much choice in the matter now" he said pulling open the door and stepping inside.

"Hi" Neil said as they walked up to the desk he was working at. "You guys okay? Did you need something?"

"We were actually wondering if you were okay?" the woman asked. "It's Friday night and everyone else went home hours ago."

"I'm fine" he said with a smile. "Got some bits I wanted to finish up, that's all."

"Oh good" he replied feeling a little awkward. "I'm Ryan by the way, and this is Lucy. We're nurses on the surgical wards"

"I'm Neil" he said, standing and putting out his hand. "Good to meet you."

"We know who you are Dr Melendez" she smiled, talking his hand and shaking it firmly.

"Neil, please" he insisted with a smile.

"We just wanted to check that everything was okay, you being sat here alone on a Friday night?"

"I'm fine, thank you. It's living in a hotel which isn't so much fun anymore!" he laughed. "After two weeks, the novelty has definitely worn off, hopefully they'll find me somewhere soon."

"Isn't it nice being waited on?" Ryan asked. "I thought it would be fun. It looks great in the movies!"

"It was, but even the food is too much. I just can't wait to just cook for myself" he smiled.

"If you're that desperate to cook dinner, you could always come to ours" Lucy laughed earning herself an elbow from Ryan who thought she was being too forward.

"Thanks for checking in, I appreciate it" he smiled.

"Feel like getting a drink tonight? We could show you a few nice local places? " Ryan asked but as if on cue, his cell lit up and vibrated across the desk.

"Sorry, I should get that" he replied, glancing at it.

"Girlfriend?" Ryan asked seeing the name flash up on the screen.

"Complicated" Neil replied with a shrug. "Can we take a rain check? Maybe next time?"

"Definitely" replied Lucy. "Night."

"Night" he replied, taking his seat again and unlocking his phone to return the call.

X

"Hey Aud" he said as she picked up.

"Hi" she replied surprised at herself for feeling a little nervous. This was the first time they'd actually spoken since he'd left almost a fortnight ago and she had felt apprehensive all morning.

"You okay there?" he asked cautiously knowing that the first time they spoke could be tense. They had exchanged plenty of messages as a group with Neil regaling them with tales of his trip so far. There had been some messages between just the two of them but after a slight misunderstanding and a message being read the wrong way, they'd decided it'd be better to call from then on.

"I'm good" she said at last. "It's good to hear your voice" she said smiling.

"You too" he replied. "What's been going on? You all coping okay having to pick up all my surgeries?"

"It's a breeze" she laughed. "Let's be honest I'm probably doing a better job!"

"True" he laughed, glad that the ice had been broken.

They talked for around ten minutes before he heard Audreys pager go off in the background and she announced she had to go.

"Go see if you can catch up with those people from earlier" she said. "It'll be a long six months without any friends" she laughed.

"I will" he smiled. "I'm glad you called."

"Me too."

"Night Aud."

"Afternoon Neil" she retorted before ending the call.

Sitting a few moments longer, he reached forward and turned off the monitor in front of him. Grabbing his jacket and phone he walked quickly to the door and made his way to the main exit hoping to catch them.

"Hey" he called as he saw them ahead, just about to turn a corner. They stopped and turned.

"Hey yourself" Ryan smiled. "She talked you into getting a drink then?" he smirked.

"Pretty much" he replied. "That okay?"

"Sure" Lucy added. "Let's go" she smiled as she linked her arm back with Ryan's and they turned to head out for the evening.

X

"Remind me again why you wouldn't go on a date with Neil, but you're happy to go for a drink with Mateo 'Whats-his-face' the first time he asks" Kevin teased Audrey a few weeks later after she'd agreed to go out with a police officer who had accompanied a patient into the ER.

She rolled her eyes at what had now become a common topic of conversation. One that she usually diverted at every opportunity... except this one.

"Because it wouldn't have been fun with Neil" she snapped back immediately regretting her words and her tone. "That came out wrong" she said quickly, seeing her friends shocked reactions.

"I'm a little curious to hear what exactly you did mean?" Jo asked with a frown.

"I just meant that it would be an instantly serious thing with Neil. I'd have gone straight from my marriage into something just as heavy and I don't think that's what I need right now" she said trying to redeem herself. "I need 'fun'."

"Okaaay" Kevin replied sounding dubious.

"I got myself a book" she announced. "It was an interesting read so I'm going to try and follow some of the steps and see what happens."

"Did it basically tell you the same things we did the other night?" Jo quipped.

"Pretty much" she replied with a little laugh as Jo nodded smugly to Kevin. "Maybe you actually had some good points and I don't want Neil to be my trial run. He's too..." she said.

"He's Neil" Kevin finished getting a nod of agreement.

"Like we said, we're here for you until you figure this out" Jo reminded her. "However long it takes."

Audrey smiled and nodded as she picked up her cup and drained the last of her coffee before they headed upstairs for mornings rounds.

X

By the end of July, Neil had moved into the Marlin Apartments near London Bridge. They really had gone all out after leaving him in the hotel for almost six weeks and he was more than happy with his new accommodation. It was bright and spacious with an open plan living space and a well equipped kitchen, much to his delight.

The floor to ceiling windows would have given fantastic views across the city if money had been no object and he was up a few floors higher, but at this point he was just grateful to have his own space. The location had allowed him to be a proper tourist and he was loving nothing more than wandering around Borough Market in his downtime and choosing from the amazing fresh produce to cook his own food. One of the first things he did was make dinner for Ryan and Lucy as a thank you for their kindness over the last few weeks.

He had shown his friends around during a Skype call early one evening and they were equally impressed wishing they could take him up on his suggestion of a vacation. Before the call had finished, Audrey announced that she had to run and quickly said her goodbyes.

"Have fun!" Kevin let slip without thinking and turning back to the screen to see a questioning look from Neil.

"She has a date" Jo said quickly.

"Anyone I know?" he asked.

"No, an officer that came into the ER a couple of weeks ago" she confirmed. "He asked her a few times before she agreed."

"That's okay then" he replied much to their surprise. "What?" he asked smiling at their bemused faces.

"I don't know" Kevin replied. "Maybe we thought you'd be upset?"

"If she's happy, so am I" he replied diplomatically with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You'll have to let me know how it goes" he said being the good friend but not really wanting to know at all.

A few days later, he caught up with Audrey himself and took the opportunity to ask her how it had gone in a roundabout sort of way.

"So the other night" he started. "Did you guys go to the movies?"

She grinned at his attempt to be subtle and obviously failing. "We did not" she smiled. "Like I'd go watch it without you."

"You're going to wait until I get back?" he asked, feeling impressed.

"Heck no!" she replied. "We'll both go on the weekend and we can talk about it on here afterwards" she suggested.

A grin almost split his face in two before he answered. "Great" was all he said. "Can't wait."

Their next call a few days later was a critical breakdown of the new Guardian's of the Galaxy movie which they both thoroughly enjoyed and as they hung up, they both sat with daft little smiles on their faces. It obviously wasn't the same as their usual trips, but it would certainly do under the circumstances.

X

The summer passed quickly and the time eventually came for Lily to be admitted for her procedure. On her most recent scan, she was told that her aorta had grown to 4cm in diameter and that the surgery was needed as soon as possible. Once the vessel reached 5cm the chance of rupture was significantly increased but they had done the work and they were ready.

The patient displayed many of the physical manifestations of Marfan Syndrome. She was 6ft 2in and had abnormally long and slender limbs, fingers and toes. She had been diagnosed at birth unlike her father who had suffered aortic dissection aged 18. He'd had three open heart surgeries since and would be dependent on blood thinning medication for the rest of his life.

Lily, who also suffered from scoliosis of the spine and severe osteoarthritis in her hips, had previously heard about the development of PEARS from her time spent at medical school. When the opportunity arose to take part in the pioneering steps of the research, she jumped at the chance.

"So you obviously know why we have developed this procedure" Dr Melendez began as he met with Lily in the days leading up to her surgery. "But I still have to explain what we are about to do as a matter of procedure. That okay?"

"Of course" she replied with a smile, looking around at her parents who nodded in agreement.

"As you know, this isn't conventional heart surgery. It can be carried out while the heart is beating so a bypass machine isn't needed, the procedure is quicker and there is less chance of stroke and other complications" he reeled off. "The recovery should be quicker, there will be less blood loss and the procedure time is much shorter so it's a pretty attractive option" he smiled. "Do you have any questions?"

"How big will the scar be?" Lily asked after a brief pause. "Will it be..."

"We will make it as neat as we possibly can. We could make the incision in a slightly different position so it's easier for you to conceal" he smiled, understanding exactly what she needed to hear. He didn't want her to feel conscious about having this done. "The scar from this will be significantly neater than one from emergency open heart surgery" he smiled.

"Thank you" she replied. "Thank you for listening to what I need, it means a lot."

"Anything you need" he replied. "We've lived and breathed this procedure for the last few months. I could talk about it all day long" he laughed.

"That's okay" Lily's mother laughed. "I could listen to you read a cereal packet!"

"Mum!" Lily scolded, blushing a little. "My dad wishes that the PEARS procedure had been around when he was younger" she said trying to change the subject.

"But I'm so happy that she's been able to have it done. We're very close because of both having Marfan syndrome and have very similar personalities" her father said picking up Lily's hand and kissing it lightly. "You seem to be genuinely interested in her care, not just the glory which put us all at ease. We know she is in good hands."

Days later, they celebrated as the procedure went without a hitch and after a few beers, he ungracefully stumbled in his front door. Flopping down on to his sofa, he glanced at the clock on the wall opposite and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. With his thumb hovering over the green icon next to her name he started an internal argument while his mind raced with pros and cons.

Taking a deep breath he felt a wave of confidence wash over him and he hit the button.

He waited.

The call rang and rang and his heart sank a little as the it went unanswered despite knowing that she was likely in surgery herself. The tone sounded and he smiled softly to himself as he heard her dulcet but abrupt answer phone greeting.

"We did it!" he exclaimed, before pausing briefly. "I just wanted to let you know. I'll call another time" he sighed before ending the call and carelessly casting the handset aside. He lay his head back and let sleep take him knowing he'd dream well tonight. 


	49. Chapter 49

Hi All! Been struggling with MAJOR writers block with this one. I've got a notebook full of ideas with it planned out right to the end but have no motivation whatsoever! I'm taking a vacation this week with my biggest kid which will hopefully set off some sparks.

Sorry for keeping you waiting, but I will be back 🙂


	50. Chapter 50

Lily was in hospital for about a week after the procedure being closely monitored by the whole team. The care at St Thomas' was incredible, second to none and she made a speedy recovery. Around a month later she had returned to university and she was now in the fourth year of her course. She had experienced so many hospital visits in her life it had helped her decide on her future career in healthcare. A career she could now pursue without worrying about aortic ruptures or the long term side effects of taking warfarin.

The hospital was now progressing with its plans to become the biggest centres for PEARS in the world and was putting a lot of effort into courting Dr Melendez in his final weeks in attempt to get him to stay a while longer. They had been impressed by his work ethic from the start and wanted him to help promote the considerable advantages of the procedure to others and be the face of the campaign.

He had politely declined the offer, citing family reasons and started packed up his bags ready to head home to San Jose. Christmas was around the around the corner and he really was looking forward to seeing his family and friends and quite frankly, he was looking forward to being in warmer climes. The cold and wet British winter was not something he really wanted to experience any more than he already had. During this last weekend, they were experiencing a particularly cold snap and he'd been photographed in a thick woolly hat and a bulky coat which prompted a number of social media comments from Kevin about his new style which he'd accepted with good grace.

He'd posted a number of pictures of his own from his time in London and Audrey had been watching with interest, but minimal interaction. She had been secretly pleased when she hadn't seen any significant female presence other than Lucy who she had met briefly during a rushed Skype call one afternoon before she had to excuse herself to answer a call.

He spent his last few days in the city cramming in the last few tourist activities he could think of in the company of Ryan and Lucy. They'd enjoyed a great day together and their final stop was The Tower of London. After browsing the exhibitions and marvelling at the fantastically ornate crowns and jewellery, he browsed the gift shop for something suitable for Gabi. She would have loved the beautiful pieces so he picked her up a guide book and was about to join the line when something else caught his eye. He stopped and ran his fingers down the display, smiling at the tinkling noise they made as they gently moved back and forth in the rack.

Picking one up off the stand, he smiled as he looked at it in the palm of his hand. 'She'd like that' he thought, before adding it to the items he'd already picked and joined the line to pay. He'd given himself the task over the last few months of buying his friends the most obnoxious souvenirs he could possible find and was very pleased with his choices. Kevin was set to receive some underwear emblazoned with a detailed map of the London Underground; Audrey was getting a kitchen apron garishly decorated with the most popular London landmarks as a dig towards her aversion to cooking and Jo was getting what was actually an ashtray printed with a Union Jack which he thought they could use to throw their keys into by the front door of their new place.

His flight back to San Jose was early Monday morning and as they parted ways after dinner that evening, the farewell was bittersweet for them all. Ryan and Lucy had been good friends to him over the last six months but he needed to get back to his life in California and it was likely that they would not see each other again despite the generous offers to host each other on either side of the ocean. They promised to keep in touch in one form or another with Lucy requesting updates on his "complicated" relationship with Audrey. He had opened up about the whole situation after some encouragement and he had found it quite cathartic. They had listened to him intently when he needed it, and offered advice whether he wanted to hear it or not. He was heading home feeling refreshed and ready to face whatever was coming next.

X

His flight back into SJC was uneventful and when he landed at 11 PM he could think of nothing he wanted more than to get home. Jo and Matt had vacated the apartment a week before after finding themselves a nice little condo to share in a more official capacity - both their names were on the rental agreement which for them, signified the next big step in their relationship.

He pushed open his front door with his foot, balancing his bags best he could. He found a lamp enjoying a soft glow in the sitting area so he could find his way and he smiled. Dropping his bags just inside the door, he wandered into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Checking the refrigerator as he passed, he smiled when he saw his friends had obviously stocked it earlier in the day and found a small note stuck to a six-pack of beer saying 'Welcome Home'.

Breaking one out of the box, he twisted the lid and dropped it casually into the sink. He sat back on his couch with a sigh and took a long drink from the ice cold bottle. He didn't dare close his eyes for even a moment, quite sure that the tiredness from travelling would send him straight to sleep.

Smiling to himself, he thought about the last six months - the people he had met and the experiences he had been part of. He was grateful for them all, but he was glad to be home and most certainly looking forward to seeing his friends. With a couple of days leave planned, he was going to visit his family but straight after that, he would be back on the rota at St Bonaventure and was raring to go.

X

His first shift back, he found himself working alongside Jo on a case which would take up most of their time for the next few days. He thanked her for the supplies that had been left in his fridge but she graciously brushed it off, saying he'd done them a much bigger favour and invited him over to see their new place as soon as he had some free time.

Almost ten hours later, he was more than ready to leave and go home and sleep for a week. It turned out that he wasn't fully recovered from the jet-lag and his feet felt heavy as he dragged himself towards the front door of the hospital. Waiting to cross the street to the parking lot, his focus was drawn as he saw a car pull up to the entrance and stop briefly in the restricted zone just by the door.

The internal light came on as the passenger door opened and he saw her for the first time since he'd been back. They'd exchanged the obligatory 'Welcome Home' messages but not much more. He saw her lean over and kiss the cheek of the driver before getting out and closing the door. Before she could look up and see him, he turned away and started towards his car again, his shoulders slumped. He wasn't sure what he would have done if she had called out to him so was relieved not to hear his name. It had been six months of group text messages and moderately frequent video calls and he knew she had been dating but it turned out, he wasn't ready to see it in action.

The drive home seemed to take forever and after summoning the energy to make eggs for dinner, he pushed them around his plate for a while before throwing what was left into the trash and heading to bed. He didn't lay awake thinking about Audrey or how they would react when they saw each other, he was just too tired. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and if he did dream, he didn't remember any of it.

They finally saw each other the very next day as she burst in the door of the break room to find the other three sat, talking quietly. They shushed her as she dumped her bike helmet and keys on the table, much to her chagrin and as she was about to respond with some sarcastic remark, she noticed them gesturing to the sleeping form on a bunk in the background.

"Sit" Neil said quietly. "I've got something for each of you all but I wanted you to be together."

"You didn't need to" Jo started as she eagerly opened her bag and actually being quite pleased at what she found inside. "We could put it by the door for our keys" she said without any prompting, earning herself a big smile from Neil.

"Honestly, you shouldn't have" Audrey laughed as she held up the most hideous apron she'd ever seen. "That will not encourage me in to the kitchen at all!"

"For all our safety" Neil quipped, earning himself a slap on the arm.

"These are amazing!" Kevin exclaimed as he brandished his new underwear proudly. "I'll be wearing these on my next date - they can be my new lucky pants!"

They all sat shoulders shaking, trying to stifle their laughs as not to wake the sleeping resident. They all remembered quite clearly how dangerously asleep deprived they had been in those early years and had every sympathy.

They were disturbed by Kevin's page and he excused himself to go and attend to his summons. As he walked out the door, a surgical nurse poked her head in and whispered to Audrey.

"I need to sign some paperwork" she grimaced, it was her least favourite part of the job. She always thought it would have been much more exciting and efficient if they didn't have to complete the endless reams of charts and instructions.

As she let the door close behind her, Neil reached out and grabbed her keys much to Jo's confusion.

"I know you won't tell her" he smiled at her, trusting her. He dug in his pocket and found the key chain that he'd picked up on his last weekend in London. The size of the item was discreet, but the high shine and small jewel decorations on the little crown were glaringly obvious. She would know exactly where it had come from but he doubted she would say a word about it.

"She's missed you, you know" Jo said with a soft smile.

"In her own special way" he smiled as he admired his handiwork before tucking the keys back where she'd left them. "We'll be fine."

Both their pages sounded together and they smiled at each other as they rose from their seats to attend the Emergency Room call. Passing Audrey just outside the door, they called to her that they'd catch up with her later.

Picking up her helmet off the table, she noticed it immediately. The new addition to her keychain almost glowed in comparison to the other impersonal keys and fobs and she smiled to herself. She'd worked hard on her self over the last few months and she was happy that he hadn't come back expecting her to be ready for anything more. She saw this gift from him as exactly what it was. A reminder from someone who cared that he was still there and she could live with that for now. 


	51. Chapter 51

**So here we hit another milestone, half century with this story (chapter courtesy of themintjournal once more). Thank you for letting me beta this for you... hope you like it! **

"How's it going in here?" Melendez asked as he stepped in to the OR holding a mask over his face - he wasn't fully scrubbed in so kept his distance to avoid contaminating the surgical field. He had just scrubbed out of an organ procurement in the theatre next door, harvesting a healthy kidney from a living donor. Lim was the one performing the transplant on the recipient in the adjoining OR.

"Kind of you to check on us, Dr. Melendez" she replied, smiling behind her mask. "Everything is going well. The cuts on the renal arteries and veins were nice and clean and I've just attached them to the external iliac arteries and veins without difficulty" she told him quickly glancing up.

"What should our next steps be?" she asked one of her residents.

"Check the blood flow for leaks or bleeding" answered an eager second year who was currently holding the suction tube.

Now that they were surgical fellows, they had taken on much bigger roles and more responsibility. They were confidently leading surgeries and had residents under their wing to guide and shape. They saw patients, discussed cases, and talked about treatment plans with the residents assigned to their service. They didn't have free reign, the ultimate authority still lay with the attending but they were shaping into extremely competent leaders.

"That's correct." Lim acknowledged. "Let's start it up." she said as she signalled to initiate blood flow. There were a few seconds of silence and they all watched intently.

"It's pinking up!" the resident exclaimed.

"Indeed, it is. We have a very pink kidney meaning a healthy blood flow and secure sutures." she confirmed with a smile. "Nice work everyone."

"Nice job, Dr. Lim." Melendez greeted.

"Thank you, Dr. Melendez." she said in return.

She's was about to continue with her residents Q&A when Melendez spoke again.

"It's been a long couple's of days, but unless I'm sleep deprived, I'd say you've got an unexpected visitor, Lim." he told her. She looked back over her shoulder with her confusion showing on the small amount of face he could see. He nodded his head toward the small gallery window and when Lim turned her gaze she saw who he was talking about, she saw her.

Sat on the furthest chair tucked away in the very corner, barely visible with the glare from the surgical lights, was a girl no older than a middle school age. She must have been watching the surgery as it happened in the OR below.

"Who is that? What is she even doing there?" the anaesthetist asked in a stage whisper.

"Want me to get rid of her? I'll make her go away." said one of the residents, maybe a little too keenly.

"Take it easy there. She probably just accidentally wandered in." Lim instructed. "I doubt she's a corporate spy!"

"I'll take care of it. You guys just focus on finishing up here." Melendez volunteered, turning and heading back out of the sliding doors.

X

Climbing the stairs and quietly pushing the door of the gallery open, he was a little surprised to see her still sitting there. He thought she might have bolted once she realised she'd been discovered but it seemed that the draw of the final stages of the surgery were just too much.

"Hi, there" he started, speaking softly. "I'm Dr. Melendez. Are you lost?" he said with concern.

"Am I in trouble?" the young girl asked nervously.

"No, you're not. Not exactly." he answered with a smile. "Although, you're technically not supposed to be up here. This is just for people who work here."

"What are they doing?" she asked him as he took a seat beside her.

"They uhh… Uhmm…" he stuttered trying to think of the easiest way to explain. "Well, this mans kidney wasn't working properly so his brother gave up one of his so he could be healthy again. The doctors down there just put in the new kidney and are making sure that it works properly for him" he explained using the simplest terms he could think of.

"My grandma had a liver transplant once. Did she get it from a donation too?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I want to do that." the little girl announced.

"Yes, it's a good thing to donate, but you won't have to think about that until you're older" he told her with a smile, admiring her selflessness at such a young age.

"No, not that. I mean the doctor. I want to do what she's doing." she corrected.

Not expecting what she just said, he smiled at her, amazed that she wasn't even slightly perturbed by what she was seeing. He looked back down at the OR to watch Lim taking lead on the surgery while giving pointers to her residents who were hanging on her every word.

"She is quite amazing, isn't she?" he said as he watched them going through the motions in thr room below. "See the lead surgeon there? She's very good at this, maybe the best you'll see." he continued pointing at Lim, his smile growing wider as he talked.

"You seem to be fond of her." she observed astutely.

He let out a little laugh before answering. "Who wouldn't be? She's awesome" he said feeling safe enough in the confines of this little room to say these things out loud. He paused, getting a little more serious as he continued. "She's awesome at pretty much everything she does, really." he added.

It was the truth. Audrey Lim was very good at anything and everything she put her mind to. It was one of the many reasons he admired her, from the moment they'd met on their first day of their residency.

"Don't tell her I said that though" he warned, and the little girl laughed. "Tell you what, we can wait for her to finish up downstairs and maybe you can meet her afterwards?" he suggested. She nodded her head in agreement.

As they walked out in to the corridor they were both startled from a call coming from behind them.

"Xiao Ming! Nǐ zài zuò shénme? I have been looking all over for you!"

They both turned to see who was speaking and Melendez was quite surprised to see Aoki walking towards them. She was not the source he expected of what he would find out later was broken Mandarin.

Realizing she might be in deep trouble, the young girl stuffed her jeans into her pockets and looked up with her best 'puppy dog' eyes.

"Oh hi, Ayi! I was just hanging out with Dr. Melendez for a while" she tried to say casually, being thoroughly let down by her inability to stop fidgeting.

"Miss Aoki." Melendez acknowledged her.

"Hello, Dr. Melendez. I'm sorry about my niece. She wandered off while I was stuck on a call" she said apologetically.

"No, no. She's okay. We were having fun hanging out right?" he said genuinely, looking down at the girl.

"I came out to check if you were hungry, and you weren't there. You shouldn't have wandered off like that" she admonished. "I still have a client on hold, but there's a cafeteria downstairs if you'd like?" Aoki said softening with one sorrowful look from her charge.

"Can I have pancakes? With Nutella and strawberries?" she asked.

"I can take her." Melendez offered. "If it's okay with you?"

"You sure? You don't mind?" she asked not wanting to impose.

"Not at all. I'm on a break anyway." he assured her with a smile.

"Alright, then. You go with Dr. Melendez to the cafeteria. I'll come get you there as soon as I'm done. You behave, okay?" instructed Aoki, giving the girl a kiss on the forehead.

"I will." she promised as she gave a small wave goodbye.

Melendez and the Xiao Ming headed to the cafeteria passing by the nurses station on the way. "When Dr. Lim passes by, could you tell her I have a consult for her? I'll be in the cafeteria." he asked politely.

"Sure thing, Dr. Melendez" he responded and the curious pair went on their way.

X

"Are you sure you want pancakes in the middle of the day?" he asked her apprehensively.

"There's never a wrong time for pancakes, Dr. Melendez." she answered quickly, making him laugh.

"Very true. I like your way of thinking" he chuckled as they stepped up to the counter and placed an order for two servings of their finest pancakes.

"So, you didn't tell me Aoki was your aunt when we met" he said trying to start a conversation as they say across from each other.

"Uhmm, technically you didn't ask?" she replied jokingly, in an almost know-it-all tone.

Melendez let out a chuckle, "You're right, again. I guess I didn't" he said, very much amused by her silliness.

"She and my mom are the best of friends. They've known each other since middle school, they used to be inseparable. My Mom had a work thing here in San Jose, so we decided to visit Auntie together. We were supposed to go out today to Happy Hollow Park, but she got called in for a work thing last minute" she explained, sounding a little flat.

"Well, I'm sorry your day out with her was interrupted. She's a very smart and very important lady" he pitied.

"I know. She's speaks at least three languages I know about and tries her best with Mandarin and a couple of other too. Besides, it didn't turn out so bad. I got to see some really cool stuff and now I'm having pancakes for lunch" she said brightly. "I'm living the dream!"

"Way to look at the bright side" he said with a smile and she beamed at him in return.

Halfway through their meal, he looked up and saw Lim getting a snack from the vending machine and standing at the edge of the cafeteria looking around. He raised his hand to get her attention and she approached their table.

"Remember our little secret now" Melendez reminded her with a mock glare in seconds before Lim reached their table.

"Hello! Made a new friend, I see" Lim said smiling at Melendez whilst referring to the child. "Isn't it a little too late in the day for pancakes? I thought you didn't do carbs in the morning?" she teased.

"I asked the same thing, but apparently there's never a wrong time for pancakes." he responded as a matter of fact and gesturing at his own plate.

Lim raised her eyebrows and nodded in agreement. "Smart kid" she smiled at her.

"You may recognise this young lady as your unexpected visitor in the OR gallery." said Melendez raising his eyebrows.

"I assumed so" she replied. "Hi, I'm Dr. Lim." she said as she introduced herself.

"Hi, Dr. Lim." the child said, beaming at her.

"So, what's with the little adventure today?" she asked sitting down right next to her.

"I'm sorry, I got bored. I was just looking for something to do" she explained shyly.

"Don't worry. You're not in trouble." Lim assured her with a smile, tearing open the snack packet she'd bought herself and taking a bite.

"Dr. Melendez was telling me all about you today" the girl started, changing the subject and her words making Melendez suddenly anxious.

"Oh really?! What did he tell you?" she asked sarcastically while eyeing Melendez with a smirk. He had no reply except a nervous smile.

"You gave that man a new kidney?" she started, seemingly eager to know more.

"Well, I didn't technically give it to him. I just put in a new one that someone else gave to him."

"Oh, right. Was it hard to do that?" she asked curiously.

"Well, surgeries are never really easy because there can always be complications. But I'd say that one was a success" Lim answered.

"How did you learn how to do that?" she asked, her questions lining up nearly in her mind ready to ask.

"I went to school a lot. And practiced a lot" she answered patiently, looking amused at such a serious line of questioning from such a young person.

"And you're good at it?" the girl added, repeating Melendez's words from earlier making him shift in his seat eyeing her closely.

"Yes, but not as good as me" he chimed, before the girl could even add anymore on the subject.

Lim laughed, "Don't believe him. I'm obviously better at it than he is" she told her, rolling her eyes at Melendez.

"I think I want to be like you when I grow up" said the kid looking up at Lim with a serious look.

Audrey seemed to relax and began to explain to her the process of how to become a surgeon. Melendez sat back, smiled and watched them interact as if they'd known each other for the longest time.

"I know it seems like a long way from now, but I promise you, it is all worth it." Lim told her gently. "Did you get scared of what you saw in there today?" she asked.

"No, I'm 11 and a half and my Mom thinks I'm too grown up for my age." the child responded confidently.

"I think I agree with her. Your mom is right on this one" Lim said, amused at her candour.

The young girl was distracted for a moment as she saw her Aunt in the distance, on her way to collect her. Audrey followed her gaze and Neil turned to see what was so interesting.

"Please, don't tell her where you found me earlier" she whispered to them.

"As long as you don't tell her we didn't leave right away." Melendez whispered back.

"Xiao Ming, ready to go?" Aoki called. She nodded as she finished the last bite of her pancake. "Thank you, Dr. Melendez and Dr. Lim for watching her for a bit."

"Not a problem, she's a good kid." Melendez responded and Lim nodded in agreement.

Before she could get up, Lim put an arm around the back if her seat, leaning in. "Don't worry, they'll drop the Xiao soon enough" she teased as the girl gathered her things and prepared to leave.

"Bǎobèi, don't forget to say goodbye." Aoki reminded.

"Zàijiàn, Xiao Ming."

"Bye, Chiquita." both Lim and Melendez said almost at the same time.

"Zàijiàn! See you later!" she said to them both. "Your secret is safe with me." she whispered to Melendez as she passed, but loud enough for Lim to hear as she followed her aunt and waved goodbye as they headed to the doors.

"What was that all about? What secret?" Lim asked, curious.

"Ah, nothing. Just an inside joke." Melendez said hoping she wouldn't ask about it any further.

"Was it that you told her you're a better surgeon than me?" she laughed.

"It stays between little Xiao Ming and I." he insisted with a grin, knowing that it would frustrate Audrey to be kept in the dark.

"Little Xiao Ming is redundant, you know. Xiao Ming essentially means Little Ming. So technically, you're calling her little Little Ming." she corrected with a shake of her head. "I'm always having to teach you things" she laughed.

"So, her name is really just Ming?" he asked. She nodded in confirmation.

"Good to know" he smiled. But I like Xiao Ming. Little Ming. It suits her" he responded; feeling glad she didn't pry any further on their secret.

"I gotta go. Need to update the patient's family. Just stopped by for a snack and your 'consult'" she admonished.

"Thanks" he smiled, the only thing he could say before she got up and left. He followed her across the cafeteria with his gaze smiling to himself. It had been a while since just the two of them sat in the cafeteria just talking. Now that they had taken on bigger roles, it happened a lot less but he was glad that it had happened today. It hadn't been for very long, but it was nice and he had missed it.


	52. Chapter 52

"How is Matt? Has he arrived?" Audrey asked Jo as soon as she took her seat across from them. Her eyes were red and she was looking flustered.

"He's due to land in an hour" Jo replied flatly, running her fingers through her unkempt hair. "We'll know more when he gets to the hospital."

"What's going on?" Neil asked, with concern. "You guys okay?"

"They think his Mom has had a stroke" she said with a sigh. "He's flown back to Florida to find out exactly what's going on. His sisters aren't great with this kind of thing."

"I'm so sorry" he replied, reaching out and putting his hand over hers. "Don't you need to go too?"

"Not right now, but maybe in the next couple of days depending how things go" she said taking a large drink from her coffee but not giving away any more. Her eyes kept flickering back to check her cell which they would normally rib her for, but today was not the day for that.

They finished up their drinks in a sombre mood and left to carry on about their business which helped the hours pass by. At the end of the day, they insisted on meeting again and sat around the table waiting for an update. Jo confirmed Matts Mom had suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) on right side of her brain - the side which is responsible for carrying out functions for the left side of the body.

Being qualified physicians, none of them needed an introduction to the causes and effects of a stroke. They all knew that a TIA is usually caused by a blood clot and can often serve as a warning of future strokes so should not be ignored, no matter how well his Mom might feel afterwards. When blood flow to the brain is blocked temporarily symptoms occur, which are similar to those of a full stroke, they are typically temporary and disappear after a few minutes or hours so for now, all was well.

Matt returned to California and was back to work at St Bonaventure within the week. He had tried to impress onto his Mom some important lifestyle changes but she was being particularly argumentative about it all and he returned frustrated, not confident that his other family members would follow through with her care.

"She doesn't seem to get that this was a warning shot" he sighed as he sat with Neil and Kevin in the break room where they were meant to be catching up on patient charts. "There are some factors that she can't do anything about" he continued while they listened intently. "The fact that she's getting older and that she's a woman are things we can't change but she's being so stubborn about the rest" he said shaking his head.

"Does she smoke or drink to excess?" Kevin asked. To much alcohol consumption raises blood pressure levels and using tobacco products can damage blood vessels leading to further attacks.

"She's never smoked in her life, she's proud of that" he replied. "And she only has a drink on special occasions so the only things she can really do is increase her activity levels and watch what she eats. But you try and get a woman in her sixties to join an exercise class, it's not pretty" he said with a half hearted laugh.

"At the end of the day, she's a grown woman capable of making her own health based choices" Neil pointed out to him. "Try and look at it as if you were her doctor and not her son" he suggested getting a nod of agreement from them both.

"It's just driving me crazy" he said with a sigh. "Being so far away is hard and getting her to Skype it's almost impossible" he smiled to himself.

"I hear that" Neil agreed. "My parents don't do technology very well then get frustrated when I can't make the weekly phone call! They are sent to test us I'm sure" he smiled, garnering a laugh from both of them.

As usual, the charts and the chatter was cut short by the sound of pagers ringing, getting a round of sighs as they pushed back their chairs, gathered their belongings and headed back out into the fray.

X

A couple of months later came another call from the Emergency Room at Tampa General Hospital. Matt was urgently pulled from the operating theatre mid procedure and given the news that his mother had suffered a much bigger stroke and had been rushed into the hospital on a 911 call.

As he changed quickly out of his scrubs, he barked orders down his phone to his family to let the doctors start her on clot-breaking drugs immediately. If administered quickly, the thrombolytic drugs could break up blood clots in the brain's arteries, which still stop the stroke and reduce brain damage.

This time, Jo went with along him and once they were settled and knew more, she called to update them. By all accounts, his Mom had been feeling under the weather for a few days. She had suffered with some bouts of nausea, was feeling generally unwell and was becoming increasingly agitated about it. Once she started slurring her speech and experiencing numbness an ambulance has been called right away.

"She's lost quite a bit of mobility" Jo started. "She'll bedridden for the time being. She can't move her arm or leg right now and is having some issues communicating."

By the time they had flown across the country, she had already had her CT scan results which gave a clear picture showing exactly where the bleeding and damage had occurred. Her echocardiogram was scheduled within the hour to see if the source of clot was in her heart to determine if it could have been one of those that travelled to the brain to cause the stroke in the first instance.

She was eventually diagnosed with an embolic stroke. The offending blood clot had indeed formed in her heart and moved through her bloodstream to the brain. The clot then got stuck in the brain's arteries, where it stopped the flow of blood and caused her stroke.

Since her TIA, Mrs James had been taking a daily aspirin but now she was going to have to start taking anticoagulants which would reduce her bloods ability to clot and help prevent any further strokes from occurring. Her road to recover was going to be hard work and would involve speech and cognitive therapies alongside her physical therapies.

Despite stroke being the leading cause of long-term disability, 25% of patients recover with only minor impairments and Matt was determined that his mother would fit squarely into that category. He dived straight into finding her the best speech and language therapist he could bloody mindedly insisting that even if she couldn't regain all her verbal communication skills, she would find a new way of communicating effectively.

X

The process was long and Matt stayed in Florida for the next few weeks taking compassionate leave from his duties in San Jose. Jo returned after a week but was missing him terribly while they struggled with the distance between them.

The foursome were taking a well deserved break in between procedures and were passing time speculating which of this years resident intake would fall victim to the axe. They recalled the end of their first year and marvelled, quite rightly, about how far they'd come since then.

Kevin had spoken to Delun just the week before and he was thriving in general practice as expected. He was gaining respect in his field and was inline to become a partner in his offices. None of them had heard from Alex in some time, he had dropped off the radar after a couple of years of sporadic contact. He posted pictures on social media now and again and he looked happy and well but that was about it.

"He transferring his residency to Tampa General" Jo said quietly when the conversation hit a natural lull. "And I'm going to go with him "

Their heads snapped to attention at the declaration, not believing what they had heard.

Kevin sat back heavily in his seat, tears filling his eyes. He had no words.

"What" Audrey exclaimed. "You're leaving?"

Jo just nodded.

"When do you go?" Neil asked quietly.

"End of next week" she replied, her own eyes filling up on hearing Audrey gasp and clap her hand over her mouth.

"So soon?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so. Matt needs me" she replied flatly. "There are a couple of vacancies in the Tampa area I'm going to apply for but right now, I just need to go."

There was a couple of seconds of silence which was broken by the sound of Audreys chair scraping back and her leaving the room without another word. Jo moved to follow until Neil covered her hand.

"I'll go" he said. "Talk to him" he said, nodding at Kevin who was sat looking shell shocked.

Walking briskly down the corridor he tried to think of where she would have gone, it couldn't have been far as she was still on duty. He asked a passing nurse to check the ladies locker room to no avail and continued his search.

Eventually, he saw her sat alone on a bench on the concourse to the parking lot. She looked up as he approached and the look in her eyes made his heart hurt. She was so sad.

"I thought if i sat in public, I wouldn't cry" she sniffed. "I was wrong."

"Can I sit?"

She nodded and turned her attention back to the floor in front of her.

"It's stupid, I know" she started. 'We're adults and I know we aren't going to stay together forever but I just wasn't expecting it to be so sudden."

"Florida isn't that far away and we are allowed vacation days, you know?"

"I know, I know, I need to go and apologise. I'm just not so good at making friends and having one of them up sticks and leave is just unsettling."

He took a breath before reaching his hand out, placing it gently on his shoulder. She turned abruptly and leaned into his embrace much to his surprise.

They sat for a few minutes in silence for her to compose herself before she sat back up.

"I'm going to go find Jo" she said quickly. "Before I lose my composure again" she laughed nervously.

Feeling a last surge of bravery, Neil reached out and took her hand.

"I'm not going anywhere you know?" he said as she turned and looked at him.

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, she felt a small amount of relief seep in.

"I know" she smiled, squeezing his hand before getting up and pulling him to his feet. "Now let's go and arrange the farewell bash our friend deserves." 


	53. Chapter 53

**Sorry this took so long – this one is still going. No excuses for the delay except for life getting in the way! Thanks for hanging on in there! **

**X**

They spent as much time together as they possibly could in the week that followed. Every break in their shift, just sitting together completing notes and doing handovers. Her replacement, Dr Matthew Coyle wasn't due to start for a week after she left as he was working his notice in his current position so any upcoming cases were being documented in detail to make things as smooth as possible.

Outside of work, they had the bittersweet task of helping Jo pack up the apartment that she and Matt had shared happily for the last six months. Many of their items were going into storage for now while they found their feet in their new city but she was keeping sentimental items close by, mementos and souvenirs of all their adventures together. They found, much to their amusement, that Jo was a terrible hoarder and had a shoeboxes full of programs and tickets stubs going back years and every now and then they'd stop and reminisce about things they'd got up to over the years that they had known each other.

"You know it's just a five hour flight" she said quietly to Audrey while they were packing her kitchen items in the other room away from the boys. "You will be more than welcome whenever you want once we've got ourselves a place sorted."

"I'll be taking you up on that" she smiled back. "Maybe you can take me to Disneyland" she teased.

"Be careful what you wish for" Jo laughed. "I went when we visited last Christmas and it's actually kinda cool."

"I think I'll take a hard pass" Audrey chuckled. "On the theme parks, not on the visiting. I'm going to miss you so much" she sighed as she folded down the top of the box she had been filling and taping the top.

"And I will miss you too" she replied, turning to look at her. "The boys will still be here for you though. I'm pretty sure Neil will be serving a life sentence at St Bonaventure" she teased, knowing that he would take the best care of their friend.

"I know, but it's not the same" Audrey smiled. "I'm not good at making girlfriends, it's such hard work and girls are so fickle. You took me for who I am, all my quirks and my weird ways with no questions asked and you liked me anyway" she said.

"I don't like you Aud" Jo said with a smirk. "I love you" she grinned earning herself a thump on the arm. "And those boys love you too. In very different ways, but it's love all the same."

"I love you too" Audrey smiled. "And I love them" she said not committing to anything further but smiling to herself.

"Maybe when you guys come visit, we'll put you in to share the guest room" Jo laughed, nudging her side. "That would be cosy!"

"Stop it!" Audrey laughed, blushing a little as Kevin and Neil showed up at that exact moment looking for more coffee to fuel their work.

"What's cosy" Kevin asked, oblivious to Audreys discomfort.

"Nothing" Jo smiled. "Just talking about Audrey coming to visit."

"We'll come too" Kevin announced, putting his arm dramatically around Neils shoulder. "Will be great fun!"

"Of course we will" Neil agreed, smiling softly but finding his heart beating a little faster at the thought of taking a trip with Audrey.

"So what time do you want me to pick you up on Friday?" Neil asked a little later as they tucked into the takeout pizza Jo had ordered them for dinner. He was met with a chorus of laughter and he looked at them, shaking his head. "What?!" he asked incredulously.

"Your in no position to be offering rides Melendez, you had to get the bus this morning" Kevin laughed. "We all saw you doing the walk of shame from the bus stop!"

"It'll be fine" Neil insisted with a laugh. "It's just a blip, it needs a new battery or something" he shrugged, taking a bite from his slice.

"I'm surprised that old thing hasn't actually fallen apart yet" Audrey teased. "I think Jo wants a ride to the airport, she doesn't want company to walk!"

Ignoring them both, he turned to Jo. "I'll sort something" he smiled. "Would you like a ride?"

"Yes I would" she smiled back. "Thank you."

X

"So are we painting the town red on Thursday night?" Kevin asked as they stacked up the last of the boxes into the back of the removal van. They would be driven across country and put into storage in Florida while Jo and Matt settled into their new lives. "We should definitely have a last hurrah!"

"My flight is quite early Friday morning" Jo reminded him sounding apprehensive. "Could we go to dinner? Or to the movies? Something more low-key?" she suggested knowing that Neil and Audrey had postponed their "non-date" to the new Avengers movie to help her pack up her apartment.

"We could go to the diner by the hospital if you want cheap and cheerful" Audrey suggested. "We've spent hours in there together for all occasions. It seems appropriate?"

"I like that idea" Jo smiled. "Lots of very good memories of that place and the best burgers in town!"

"You don't want to do anything more fancy?" Kevin asked, not up to speed on Jo's current train of thought.

"We've never been fancy Kev" Jo laughed. "We're not going to start now! We could go and watch that comic book film that you two want to see afterwards too?" she suggested to Audrey's surprise.

"But you guys hate all that stuff?" Audrey asked. "You should do something you like to do?" she said with an emphasis towards Jo.

"I like to see my friends happy" Jo said with a soft smile. "Now tell me, do I need to book tickets?"

Around an hour later, the evening came to a natural end and as Kevin gave Jo a hand carrying pizza boxes and glasses to the kitchen, he took the opportunity to corner her.

"Why on earth did you suggest we go watch that superhero rubbish for? I can't stand those movies! I would rather watch paint dry for two hours" he said, looking pointedly at her, not at all amused.

"I'm not sure how to explain this without sounding like a weirdo" she started, frowning to herself.

"Please try" Kevin said with a hint of sarcasm. "I'd love to know why you want to put me through that? I thought we were friends!"

"I wanted to spend this week doing all my favourite things with you guys" she started slowly, trying to make sure she got the words right. "And one of those things is to watch those two be around each other despite the fact they are both still in a state of denial. I can't help but love how much they love each other" she said with a sigh.

"You're such an old romantic" Kevin sighed.

"Less of the old" she chuckled giving him a gentle shove. "But thanks for humouring me" she smiled.

"Any time" he replied engulfing her in a hug. "I'm going to miss you, you know" he said quietly holding her tight.

"I'm going to miss you too" she said squeezing him back.

Neither of them said anything more, not wanting the tears to start flowing just yet, there would be plenty of time for that on Thursday. They parted with a smile just in time to hear Audrey call that their ride was outside.

"See you tomorrow for one last shift" Neil said as he hugged her and headed out the door after the others.

"Night" she said quietly to herself as she closed the door behind them for the last time.

X

Thursday was busy and their last shift was the usual organised chaos. Jo and Audrey had been in early and were first to arrive in the Emergency Room when the first patients of a road traffic incident arrived for treatment. It wasn't a major event but was certainly enough to keep them busy for the ready of the day. Neil had spent almost his entire day on a single procedure treating a gentleman who had been admitted the day before with heart failure. His options had been limited as his heart was so weak but they had done everything they could. Now it was just a waiting game to see what would come first - the transplant or the inevitable.

They were all very ready to leave later that afternoon and meeting at the diner just a couple of hours after they saw each other last was not unusual. Sitting in a booth by the window they took their usual formation. Jo slid into her seat first followed by Kevin and opposite sat Neil with Audrey sat next to him.

Ordering their favourites, they sat back and waited for the food and drinks to arrive. The diner was always packed out with hospital staff and despite the sheer amount of people, service was impeccable. The proprietors knew that efficient service for such busy people would guarantee regular custom and they had perfected the service over the years.

"I'm so disappointed I can't come tomorrow Jo. With Dr Thomas out sick this week, I've got to cover him. Andrews is being a total pain in the ass at the moment. He's brought in a couple of big donors with his plastic surgery suite proposal and I need to get myself noticed for something or I'll be on my way out" Kevin said ending with a huff.

"Probably best to not have you sobbing at check-in anyway" Jo teased with a smile and a gently nudge. They didn't discuss her leaving again for the rest of the evening and stuck to anecdotes and tales from their last six years together. There were plenty of them to get through from their first meeting in the Conference Room all those years ago, to their first Mass Casualty Event and they even delved into to their back catalogue of seemingly doomed romances over the years.

After picking up the check, they headed out to catch the movie and were happy to find the screen was quiet and even though Jo had booked seats, they could have pretty much had their pick of where to sit. The movie had been in theatres since the beginning of May but instead of their usual first week visit, Neil and Audrey had postponed for a fortnight while they spent time with Jo.

Both Neil and Audrey spent the entire feature glued to the silver screen and Jo watched them almost the whole time. She ignored the explosions and ultimate victory of the band of heroes in favour of watching the most recent instalment of her own six year saga. Absent mindedly picking from the same tub of popcorn and shyly smiling at each other each time their hands accidentally brushed. She noticed Audrey sat leaning towards him with one leg crossed over the other resulting in her calf gently resting against Neil's knee. It seemed like second nature, so natural and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why those two weren't together.

Walking back to the car after the credits rolled, she and Kevin strolled arm in arm watching their friends debate the more contentious points as they walked in front. They walked shoulder to shoulder with their hands brushing intermittently without even flinching and Jo gave Kevin's arm a squeeze.

"That's what I wanted to see" she said quietly. "If they aren't together by this time next year I'll eat my hat."

"I'm not so sure" Kevin replied with a sigh. "I think they've put each other firmly in the friend zone. Audrey is dating..."

"Casually" Jo added quickly.

"Yes, casually, but it's still not Neil" he agreed. "How long will he really wait? The guy wants the full package. House, wedding and kids. Do you think Audrey can give him that?"

"Maybe not" she sighed. "But maybe" she grinned. "Never say never!"

"Who will I gossip with after you're gone?" Kevin asked after a few moments of quiet contemplation.

"Errrr, Skype?" she suggested. "We don't live in the Dark Ages!"

"It won't be the same but it'll have to do" he smiled.

X

Next morning, Neil pulled up outside the apartment grinning to himself. The cab had dropped off both Audrey and Jo at the apartment last night before delivering the boys safely home. Audrey had stayed with her on her last night in San Jose and he was looking forward to picking them up and chauffeuring them to the airport.

Hitting the buzzer, he waited patiently to be let him in and was surprised to hear them announce they were coming down to meet him. Feeling excited, he walked quickly back to the car wanting to see their reactions as they walked out the door.

He was beginning to think that they had changed their minds when he saw movement in the foyer.

"This..." he said proudly, opening his arms wide. "This is a Tesla Model S! What do you think?"

"This is your car?" Jo asked with a hint if disbelief.

"Not yet" Neil admitted. "But you'll be surprised what you can test drive when people find out your a surgeon" he shrugged.

"You lied to borrow a car?!" Audrey scolded.

"It's not totally a lie" he said with a shrug. "I'll get one some day, just got to save a bit more cash first" he laughed.

Loading her bag into the trunk, he opened the passenger for her and she dropped a mock courtesy before lowering herself into the seat. Audrey gave a laugh and batted his hand away as she opened her own door and got into the back seat.

After circling the short stay car park twice, he eased into a space and they walked over to the terminal slowly. They were in no really rush to say goodbye and they stood watching quietly as she approached the check in desk to drop off her bag.

"She's not going far" he said, giving her a nudge.

"I know" she replied flatly.

He didn't really know what else to say so he just took her hand and held it tight. She didn't flinch, didn't look at him or say a single word. She just stood there.

"I'm going to miss her so much" she said eventually.

"I know" he replied.

"Do me a favour? Don't go leaving any time soon?" she said quietly.

"Won't be getting rid of me easily" he said squeezing her hand again.

After a few more moments of silence, he was disappointed to feel her shake her hand free and looked at her, a little confused. He followed her gaze to see Jo heading back in their direction and understood. Still disappointed, but he understood.

"Want a quick coffee before you head in?" Audrey asked hopefully.

"I can't" Jo replied with a sniff. "That line took longer than it should have. I've got to go" she said stepping right into Audrey's personal space and engulfing her in a hug.

The hug lasted a good while until a passer by clipped Jo's carry on with their own bag, breaking the spell. They stood back from each other, eyes red with tears threatening to spill.

She smiled sadly as she turned to Neil and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Look after her" she whispered in his ear.

"Course" he mumbled back. No more words were forthcoming as he her tried to stay stoically strong.

"Bye" she said in a whisper as she turned and walked off into the crowd.

"Bye" they chorused after her watching her leave.

Standing in silence again, he dared to look over and the look on her face almost broke his heart. There was no sobbing, there were no tears running down her cheeks but she looked devastated. Without saying another word, he stepped around in front of her and enveloped her in his arms. She tensed initially before allowing herself to relax and bring her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shoulder. As Jo looked back from the security line she saw a sight that filled her with hope and gave a sad smile at the thought of her departure being the catalyst for something good. This year would be theirs, she could feel it in her bones.


	54. Chapter 54

I think I'm going to take my own winter hiatus on both Reunited and In The Beginning. I'm feeling tired and I'm not enjoying myself writing them as much as I was. They are beginning to become a chore and that's not how I want it to be!

I've been doing this almost a year and have written almost 230,000 words in total - that's more than both my thesis put together! I've still got an overactive imagination and am a huge closet romantic so will write more... this is just me hitting pause 🙂

See you in a little while 🙂 


	55. Chapter 55

After assuring him more than once that she didn't need any company, he dropped her at the kerb outside her apartment where they exchanged a muted goodbye. He would check in with her later when she arrived for her shift at St Bonaventure - she obviously needed some space right now.

He stopped by his place to pick up a few things before heading back to the Tesla dealership to complete his test drive. He was going to tell them he had a few more options to try and would get back to them... they didn't need to know it would be in a couple of years time. It really was a great car to drive and when the time came for him to upgrade, he'd certainly be trying one again.

When they did run into each other later that day at changeover, she was quiet and subdued. Understandably so and he didn't want to press her so after exchanging pleasantries, he headed off to change into his running gear to do a lap of the park before going home. His thoughts turned back to her many times that evening, hoping that she would come out from under the grey cloud hanging over her and would be back to the Audrey they knew and loved.

X

He was disappointed when her dark mood lasted longer than he expected it to. He knew she would miss Jo, they all would, but he hadn't realised quite how much and so far, he had found it hard to catch her at an opportune moment to try and talk about it.

"When are we go see Antman, it's been out a couple of weeks now?" Neil asked eventually cornering her half way through her lunch as he arrived for a quick coffee in between consults.

"I can't sorry" she replied, not really looking up from her plate.

"Can't this week?" he said, a little confused at her vague response.

"I can't go and watch it with you" she said bluntly. "I need some space."

"From what?" he asked with a frown.

"From the whole reliance on other people to make me happy" she replied sharply. "I can go and see a movie by myself you know."

"I know" he said, biting his lip not sure what to say next. He really didn't want to push her any further so he needed to tread carefully. "But I though..."

"You thought wrong" she interrupted, putting down her cutlery with some force making some heads turn at nearby tables. "I've got to go" she said gathering her tray and stalking away leaving him shocked at her brutal reaction.

"I thought it was our thing" he said quietly to his coffee, feeling unsure of whether he should go after her at the risk of causing a scene.

Just moments later, he was startled from his thoughts as the seat opposite was occupied again and he looked up to see a concerned face.

"Dr Glassman" Neil said politely. "How can I help you?" he asked, finding it unusual that the senior surgeon was sat looking at him, head slightly cocked to one side with a questioning look on his face. He had been promoted to Hospital President a few months earlier but could still be found walking the halls, checking in on his staff and showing a genuine interest in the day to day running of the hospital.

"What's going on with Dr Lim?" he asked, staring straight into Neil's eyes, making him shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Shouldn't you be asking her that?" Neil suggested, knowing how pissed Audrey would get if she knew she was the subject of gossip.

"I could" he replied softly with a knowing smile. "But I'm asking you. You know her better than anyone else here. What's going on?"

Checking over his shoulder to make sure she was gone, he turned back and filled Glassman in on the basics. Once he was done, he looked at him expectantly waiting for some pearl of wisdom to come flowing out, but there was just silence.

"Any advice?" he asked eventually once the pause had become uncomfortable.

"Sorry, no!" Glassman exclaimed, a little too loudly. "She's a law unto herself that one. All I can do is wish you luck" he said before getting up and leaving Neil alone again.

X

The week passed quickly, despite being quite uneventful and it was the weekend before they knew it. They completed scheduled surgeries without any real drama, and although the Emergency Room had been busy there was nothing that would keep them outside of their scheduled hours.

Neil had spent the morning in his office taking consultations before spending the entire afternoon on research for a procedure taking place next week. He was finding passing his knowledge onto the team of residents empowering and was growing in confidence more and more as they looked to him for guidance. Despite that, he was looking forward to getting out of St Bonaventure today, he was going to catch a late showing of Antman... by himself.

Kevin was to busy. He had spent the last few hours carefully stitching up an amateur tree surgeon who had tried to start his new chainsaw with the tip resting in the ground. It had jerked into life and kicked back into his face causing some significant damage. He was very lucky that it missed his eye by just an inch and once Kevin had sutured him up, he would be discharged with a course of suffering antibiotics. He was still disgruntled at having to compete with Dr Andrews for every high profile procedure but was trying not to let the stress show. He was working hard and hadn't had much time to hang out this past week, not that a visit to watch Antman was high on his list if things to do.

Audrey had been on call when a lady who had been shot multiple times was brought in on a gurney. The number of individual injuries was approaching double figures but all she could focus on was her hair clip digging into her scalp. Not a single, solitary complaint about the 10-20 holes across her body. After all the necessary testing, she was wheeled into surgery and the repair work started. By some miracle, each bullet had missed all her major organs and blood vessels but it would still take some time for her to recover fully.

After wishing Kevin luck for his last couple of hours, Audrey headed out and walked to the parking lot feeling quite light on her feet. She sat astride her bike, thinking about the range of emotions she'd been through in the last week since her friend had left. She'd been angry and upset and had taken it out on Neil, but after speaking with Jo earlier today, she'd realized she'd been really unpleasant. She owed him an apology and maybe a drink to go with it.

Digging her phone out of her backpack, she let her finger hover over his name before locking the screen and stuffing it back in her pocket. She knew where she'd find him tonight.

She pulled into a space near the door, turned off the ignition and looked around. She couldn't see his car in nearby but this was their usual movie theatre, she was quite sure he'd come here. Heading inside, she joined the short queue for tickets and picked up her snacks before following a couple of other late comers towards the door.

As they walked in, the seating began almost immediately to their right and rose up in tiers. She scanned the rows of the premier seats spotted him straight away, sat alone with his soda stowed safely in the cup holder. His eyes were fully focused on whatever trailer was showing on the big screen in front of him and she wondered how close she could get without him noticing her.

"Is this seat taken" she asked smiling as he jumped a little at the sound of her voice. She had gotten right up close without him taking his eyes off the screen. He looked up at her straight faced, intending on making her sweat a little but not being able to follow through.

"Go ahead" he smiled, moving his cup leaving her have both sides of her seat for her snacks and drink.

"Thanks, do you mind?" she said, nodding to the popcorn tub in her hand. He reached up and took it, pinching a couple of pieces with a small smile and a shrug. She turned and put her helmet and jacket safely on another seat and sat down heavily.

"I just wanted to..." she started before she was interrupted by the opening credits.

"Ssshhh" he said with a smirk before handing back her snack and nodding at the screen. "No talking."

She smiled back and settled in to watch, happy that he was not going to make a big deal out of this. Jo was right. He was too good to her.

X

Settled back into old routines, shifts came and went with the odd dinner or drink thrown in here and there. Thanksgiving and Christmas were approaching fast with the old favourite of Halloween which always brought in the most entertaining patients.

"How are you Aud?" Jo asked, smiling back at her friend as they looked at each other on the screens of their tablets.

Jo had left 3 month's ago and they had settled into a nice routine of a weekly catch up via video chat. They told the exact same tales they would if they had still been sat across from one another in the hospital cafeteria.

"I'm good" Audrey replied. "Busy!"

"I've heard" she said with a slightly accusatory tone. "Not seen much of the boys over the last couple of months by all accounts?"

"I've seen them a bit" she replied. "We've been to the movies and out for a drink or two. I'm just busy. I'm trying to establish myself, trying to get my name out there. You know it's not easy."

"A drink? Literally just the one? I know what you're doing and why future Chief Lim. But do you really have to work every single hour?"

"Yes, I do" she replied with a laugh. "How's Matt? His Mom doing okay?" she asked changing the subject.

Before she could answer, the door to the break room opened and another participant of the call came bursting in.

"Hi!" Kevin said excitedly, jostling in on Audrey for a better view of the screen. "What's the special occasion?"

"Why does there have to be a special occasion" she replied with a laugh. "Can't I just want to see all your ugly faces together for a few minutes! Where's Neil?"

Jo had scheduled this particular call to catch them all at the same time. She did actually want to speak to them together - she had something to share but wasn't going to give it away just yet.

"On his way" Kevin replied. "He should have just scrubbed out" he said checking his watch.

"Was it a good one?" she asked.

"A landscaper came in after falling on a fence post. It went in just under his ribs and came out just above the opposite shoulder. They've had some serious repair work to get done" Audrey said having seen him as he was wheeled in the doors of the Emergency Room.

"The guy was so blasé about it all" Kevin exclaimed. "He told Nurse Davis 'I've got a nasty splinter I think you might need to remove' and then he just passed out!"

With that, the door opened again and in came Neil looking drained. He'd spent the last few hours in the very intense surgery and would give anything for a strong coffee right now.

"All okay?" Jo asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, got there in the end" he replied, stifling a yawn. "He's going to be in ICU for a long time but the surgery was sound. Enough about that though, what's going on? Why the group chat?"

"Why does there have to be something going on" she replied feigning innocence and laughing when the three faces looking at her responded with eye rolls and shaking heads.

"But I might have something to tell you guys" Jo started with a smile...

"You're coming back!" Kevin exclaimed.

"No!"

"You're getting married" Neil suggested.

"Not quite" she replied.

"Congratulations" Audrey smiled softly. "When are you due?" 


	56. Chapter 56

The months passed in a blur of surgeries and very little else. They weren't long out of their training in career terms and were still learning whilst guiding the more junior members of staff taking their first wobbly steps into the world of surgery.

They had worked like Trojans through the holiday season, taking on extra hours where needed and getting some great cases to help build their resumes.

Audrey would never admit it out loud, but sometimes she was finding being a trauma surgeon quite tedious. After a while, all the cases would have a similar theme. You had car accidents, trips and falls and fights bringing you broken bones, concussions and endless sutures which was the typical daily grind.

It wasn't that trauma was devoid of excitement, because if it was she would have moved on some time ago. It was more a case of how many broken bones and concussions you could see in one day before you were ready to go home.

There was the exception to the rule with the slightly more exciting penetrating wounds but still, a large majority of these turned out to be flesh wounds and technically rather superficial, just bleeding from the underlying soft tissue and needing a few staples or sutures before being sent on their way.

Her day had been boring so far and she'd spent more time on paperwork than she had with actual patients. She was hoping to leave on time tonight to catch up with her Mom for dinner to celebrate Lunar New Year. So far, her day had been quiet and safe...until the very moment that it wasn't.

"Hi Doc, this is Hector, 32, generally healthy. Two small stab wounds in the upper right chest. Vitals good, a bit tachy, B.P a little low and breath sounds are equal. We put some dressings over the wounds, but they look pretty small and superficial" the EMT reeled off as he pushed the patient through the doors on a gurney.

"Curtain 2 please" she said pointing over her shoulder before signing the chart she was writing in and dropping it back in the rack.

Hector had been in an altercation after a card game took an eventful turn. It was obvious from his agitated state that he was high as a kite and whether or not this had impeded his ability to play cards, she would never know. What she did know right now was that Hector couldn't tell the ace of spades from a bunch of bananas and probably didn't even know where he was.

"He demanded his money back and didn't take it well when his opponent declined. He lunged at him and the guy pulled out a blade, stabbing him twice. We've got him in custody too" said the accompanying officer said shaking his head.

The patient was still vibrating with pent up rage and outright paranoia. He was totally unaware of the two small stab wounds just over his pectoral muscle which were currently bleeding very slowly. Aside from his elevated heart rate which was likely down to the drug use, his vitals were pretty normal.

"Just a simple staple and go right Doc" the officer asked Audrey.

"Not just yet" she replied, arguing with her inner pessimist. 'He's awfully scrawny, what if the blade went deeper than we think? What if it's nicked something? Maybe he's bleeding internally?'

"Let's get a chest x-ray please" she announced. "Just to be sure."

The officer let out a sigh and sat down heavily on the hard plastic chair next to the trolley. "I knew we should have stopped for coffee on the way in" he said to himself, settling in for the wait.

The results came back and sure as you'd like, there was the unlikely haemothorax she'd been dwelling on. A chest tube would sort that out right away and the procedure drained almost a litre of dark red blood from the patient providing instant relief. The tube would have to remain in place until they were satisfied it wouldn't cause any more problems so the patient would be admitted.

"Looks like he's going to be here for a day or two" Audrey said, pulling off her gloves and stepping back. "We'll get him sent upstairs" she said before walking away to write up her notes.

As she stood at the nurses station trying to concentrate, the devil on her shoulder started whispering in her ear again. 'What if it hit his heart? Maybe we should check? What are the odds?'

"Too high" she said suddenly to herself, startling the nurse sat at the workstation in front of her. "Sorry! Can you get me a portable ultrasound please" she said before turning and heading back to Curtain 2.

"Damn it!" she cursed as the images confirmed her suspicions. There was fluid in Hectors pericardium which in the case of a stabbing, generally means there is a hole in the heart. If the volume of blood outside increases enough, it can compress the heart, not allowing it to beat properly. Left untreated, Hector would die.

What started as a casual, superficial wound had now become an emergency and fifteen minutes later they were in the operating theatre cracking Hectors chest. As the saw did its job cutting through the sternum, the movement must have disturbed something deeper as bright red blood starting seeping out of the lower of the two chest wounds. Bright red was bad and she needed to move fast.

"Put your finger in there" she barked at one of the residents stood opposite. "Try and slow it down."

As she opened his chest, she was shocked to see so much blood. The anaesthesiologist called for extra bags as they opened up all the lines fully to try and keep his volumes up.

'I should call Neil' she briefly thought to herself as she examined him closely, trying to find the source of the problem. Finding a tiny hole in his right ventricle, she stitched it quickly assuming that would stop the flow into his chest cavity. She was mistaken. It kept coming.

"Shit" she hissed as she started exploring further into the cavity. His heart was fine and pumping normally so where was this blood coming from? After checking meticulously for more injuries she found the source. The lateral thoracic artery had been punctured, likely by the tip of the blade. It could have clotted originally but once the patients blood pressure had been stabilised during the procedure, it had opened up and had begun bleeding profusely. Once she had found it, it took less than two minutes to bring the bleeding under control and after they had put in all the drains and tubes he would need for the next few days, she left her residents to close.

That had been quite the buzz.

X

"There you are" he said stepping out into the balcony overlooking the open green space behind the hospital.

"I wasn't hiding" she smiled over her shoulder. "Was just looking for some peace and quiet after all that" she said, turning back to look at the view.

"I brought dinner" he said holding up the paper bag proudly, smiling at her.

"Ah, thanks but I'm going to meet my Mom" she replied. "Dinner tonight for New Year's" she smiled.

"You know it's 9pm right?" he asked her, thinking it unusual she'd be going out that late.

"I didn't" she said, slumping her shoulders. "Missed another one, luckily she's used to it" she shrugged. "It used to be the highlight of my year. We had such fun, visiting family, eating amazing foods and watching fireworks. I loved the fireworks" she said sounding wistful.

"You haven't really celebrated it over the last few years? What changed?"

"Med school and this place" she said, nodding over her shoulder at the building looking behind them. "Mom started changing her plans after I stood her up one time too many. I'm always invited along but she spends it with friends now and has the best time."

"Tell me about it" he said, sitting down next to her and nudging her shoulder gently.

"What do you want to know?"

"All of it" he smiled before turning his attention back to their dinner. He shuffled over a bit and started unpacking takeout boxes into the space between them.

"Well, I suppose first thing would be that it's not on the same date every year. It's based in the lunar calendar so can be between Jan 21st and Feb 20."

"That's a massive window of opportunity" he laughed. "Must be some big parties going on!"

"It's changed an awful lot, even from what I remember" she continued. "In ancient times it used to be ceremonial day and people would pray to God's for a good harvest. Then there's the legend of a monster named Nian who would come out every New Years Eve until one boy was brave enough to scare him off using fire crackers and since then fireworks have been an essential part of the celebrations. I love them, the bigger the better!" she smiled.

"So if we sit here long enough, we'll see a show?" he asked, handing her a box.

"Thanks" she said absent mindedly, not really paying attention. "I'm hoping so, should be a good view from here." She opened the box and took a deep breath, smiling to herself as she noticed for the first time he'd brought her Chinese food.

"I know it's not the same as dinner with your Mom but ..."

"Thank you" she said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek, surprising them both. "You've obviously done a bit of research but you forgot the egg rolls" she admitted tucking into her noodles with steamed chicken, mushrooms and cabbage.

"You underestimate me" he said, sliding another box towards her with a smile. "And these" he said, tapping the lid of another box with his fork, which contained crispy peanut dumplings.

"Neil Melendez, what is that?!" she scolded noticing the utensil in his hand.

"My fork?"

"Where are your chopsticks?" she asked, shaking her head.

"They are too slow so my food always gets cold" he said with a shrug.

"The second best surgeon in the hospital and you can't figure out how to use chopsticks" she said in disbelief. "It's easy, look" she said, effortlessly picking up a piece of chicken and holding it out.

He wasn't sure if he was meant to eat her offering and in the time he took to consider it, she had eaten it herself and sat looking smug.

Putting her box down on her seat and leaning her sticks gently so they didn't topple, she got up and stretched before moving around behind him. Unsure of her intentions, he began to turn.

"Ah, ah" she said. "Eyes front."

She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned over him, taking his fork and putting it to one side. Unwrapping a second set of chopsticks, she took his hand in hers and positioned them gently, holding them in place.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Not sure" he chuckled. "But yeah."

She laughed as she guided his hand and tried to get him to pick up a piece of the chicken. It was much more difficult than she expected considering he was so good with his hands in surgery.

He was trying to concentrate on the task in front of him but was more focused on her actual hands. The one resting on his shoulder was warm from holding her takeout box while the hand that was holding his was much cooler. He held his breath while feeling hers gently on his cheek and as a result, his mind filled with fog.

The fog cleared almost as quickly as it had descended as her heard her laughing and felt her hand begin to shake.

"What?" he asked, trying to sound insulted but actually hoping she hadn't noticed that he hadn't been fully invested in this teaching moment.

"You are useless" she laughed. "I honestly don't understand!"

"Thanks?!" he laughed, not sure what the correct response was to the half-assed insult she'd just dished out. "Can I have my fork back please?'

"Probably for the best! Good job I'm not taking you home for dinner, you'd starve" she said, getting back to get own dinner.

"Is the family thing like Cinco de Mayo for me? Everyone asking when I'm getting married and having children?" he teased.

"Pretty much" she smiled wistfully. "Although there is a market out there for hiring a partner to take home for the holidays. "

"No way!"

"Yes way!" she laughed. "Passing down the family name is so important that you get asked a million questions. Finding someone to take with you reduces the amount of quiz questions!"

Finishing up their dinner in comfortable silence, Neil gathered up the empty packets and stuffed them back into the bag.

"Want one if these?" he asked, offering her the box containing the sweet dumplings as he sat down next to her.

"Maybe in a little while" she replied, staring out across the city. Her eyes were scanning back and forth looking for any fireworks that might be set off.

"What year is it?" Neil asked, ending the silence.

"Year of the Monkey" she replied, not taking her eyes from the horizon. "People born this year will be ambitious, adventurous and irritable" she smiled glancing at him. "And they should marry either a dragon or a rabbit."

"Really?!"

"Really" she said. "I'm year of the Ox. I'm persistent, honest and simple."

"I'd agree with two out of three of those" he chuckled earning a mock glare.

"My Mom always said I was a stereotypical Ox" she said. "I'm a good leader and devoted to my work like the Ox when they were used for farming. Not the most attractive comparison but I'm okay with it!"

"Am I the same?" he asked.

"Ah, no" she replied. "You're a rat" she laughed!

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

"Not the most popular sign but not all bad. You should be clever, quick thinking and successful" she said with a grin. "You'll have a quiet and peaceful life with a bunch of children!"

He looked at her with amusement waiting for a bit more explanation.

"Rats are known for their virility. A single rat can have 5,000 babies in one year, you know" she said seriously.

"I did not" he replied, trying to keep a straight face and failing leaving them both laughing loudly. "Who should I marry then?"

"You've got options" she smiled. "You should be compatible with a dragon or a monkey or an ox" she said mumbling the last couple of words so he might not hear.

His turned slowly with a smug grin on his face.

"Ox hey?" he repeated, confirming that she hadn't mumbled quite enough.

She nodded, amused by his realisation.

They stared at each other, eyes not wavering, both wondering if now was the right time to make a move when they were interrupted by the loud bangs of firecrackers being let off nearby. They were followed by some large rockets lighting up the sky and the moment was gone.

Seconds after that, the door to the balcony burst open.

"There you are" he exclaimed. "I've been looking for you guys!"

"We weren't hiding" they said in unison, grinning at their little joke and turning to look at their visitor.

"What's up?" Audrey asked.

"Matt called, Jo has gone into labour" he said excitedly. "We should go wait for the call! This is exciting!"

"Sure" Audrey replied. "We'll come get a coffee once we've cleared this up" she said gesturing to the takeout bag and boxes.

"Sure! I'll go order" he said excitedly before leaving just as quickly as he'd arrived.

They got to their feet and and while Neil picked up the bags, Audrey rescued the box containing the peanut dumplings for them to have with their coffee.

"I've got one more question" Neil said as she was about to pass him as he held the door open for her. "Aren't you meant to be wearing some thing red today? For good luck?"

"Who says I'm not. You just cant see it" she said with a wink as she passed him before throwing a casual "xīn nián kuài lè Neil" over her shoulder as she walked away. 


End file.
